Yangyang-gun Adds 143 More Stores to "Yangyang-ro Alley-style Shopping District"...Commercial Area Expands by 90%

Expansion of Onnuri Gift Certificate Merchants Expected to Revitalize Alley Commercial Districts

On February 13, Yangyang-gun in Gangwon Province expanded the designation of its alley-style shopping district by adding 143 more stores, in order to strengthen the competitiveness of local alley commercial areas and enhance the self-sustainability of local small business owners.

Yangyang-ro Alley-style Shopping District Map (Existing). Provided by Yangyang County

Yangyang-ro Alley-style Shopping District Area Map (Revised). Provided by Yangyang-gun

With this expansion, the existing Yangyang-ro Alley-style Shopping District increased in size from 14,548.6 square meters with 205 stores to 27,473 square meters with 348 stores. This represents an increase of approximately 90% in area and about 70% in the number of stores.

Because the previously designated areas were scattered across several sections and therefore had low consumer recognition, the county consolidated the commercial area as much as possible into a single zone. This is intended to make it easier for visitors to recognize and use the alley-style shopping district.

An alley-style shopping district is a type of commercial area designated by municipal ordinance for zones densely packed with small business stores, based on Article 2 of the Special Act on the Development of Traditional Markets and Shopping Districts. In accordance with Articles 2 and 3 of the Ordinance on the Designation and Support of Alley-style Shopping Districts of Yangyang-gun, the county revised the designated area this time.

Once designated as an alley-style shopping district, the area becomes eligible to apply for various national and provincial subsidy programs, such as business management and facility modernization projects. It can also register as a merchant for Onnuri Gift Certificates, which is expected to help stimulate consumption.

Meanwhile, to revitalize alley commercial districts, the county consulted with the Ministry of SMEs and Startups to ease the requirements for store designation and enacted the Ordinance on the Designation and Support of Alley-style Shopping Districts of Yangyang-gun in 2024. In December of the same year, it first designated 59 stores in the Nammun-ri area of Yangyang-eup as the Nammun Alley-style Shopping District, and in October 2025 it designated the Yangyang-ro Alley-style Shopping District as the second such district.

The current status of traditional markets and alley-style shopping districts in Yangyang-gun where Onnuri Gift Certificates can be used can be checked via the merchant search function in the Digital Onnuri app.

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