Mayor Jo Gyuil of Jinju Seeks Solutions to Vacancies and Slump at Central Underground Shopping Arcade

Discussing Ways to Revitalize the Original Downtown Based on Voices from the Field
Seeking Alternatives to Overcome the Economic Downturn Together with Merchants

Jo Gyuil, Mayor of Jinju in South Gyeongsang Province, spent time communicating with representatives of tenants from the Central Underground Shopping Arcade as part of the “February Date with Citizens” event held at the arcade’s community room.

According to Jinju City on February 11, this meeting was arranged to share current issues facing the Central Underground Shopping Arcade and the surrounding original downtown commercial district, which have been struggling due to the recent economic downturn and changes in consumption patterns, and to seek alternatives to help restore vitality based on voices from the field.

Mayor Cho Gyuil is communicating with representatives of tenants at the Central Underpass shopping mall during the February "Date with Citizens" event.

Participants, including the head of the underground shopping arcade merchants’ association, expressed realistic concerns such as vacant units in the underground arcade and a decrease in foot traffic affecting the original downtown commercial area, and they put forward a variety of opinions and suggestions.

The head of the underground shopping arcade merchants’ association said, “We hope the city will show interest and provide active support so that downtown Jinju can once again become a place frequented by citizens and younger generations through various infrastructure improvements and continuous promotion and content support.”

In response, Mayor Jo Gyuil said, “The Central Underground Shopping Arcade was once the center of Jinju’s commercial district and an important connecting axis linking the original downtown commercial areas,” adding, “I am grateful to all of you who continue to play a crucial role as a mainstay of the local economy despite these difficult conditions, and I will do my utmost to carefully review the valuable opinions raised on site so that the Central Underground Shopping Arcade can regain its vitality.”

Meanwhile, the Central Underground Shopping Arcade was remodeled in June 2017 and reborn under the name “Ena Mall.” To strengthen the competitiveness of the arcade, the city has been gradually expanding culture-, youth-, and experience-oriented facilities such as a youth mall, an e-sports community center, a youth open studio, and a smart library.

Jinju City plans to continue promoting communicative administration that brings together citizens and merchants and to actively pursue sustainable revitalization of the original downtown commercial district centered on the Central Underground Shopping Arcade.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.