[Report] "It's a pity there's no one, but where else is this?"... The 'Small Breath' of Gurye 5-Day Market

The Second Market Day at 'Gurye 5-Day Market' After the Flood
"Lost Billions in Property, It's Hard to Reopen After Receiving Only Hundreds in Compensation"
"Urgent Need for Long-Term Small Business Support Measures Like Policy Fund Repayment Extensions"

The Gurye 5-Day Market in Jeonnam, which suffered flood damage due to record-breaking heavy rain, held its second market after emergency restoration on the 28th. It has been 51 days since two typhoons and COVID-19. Photo by Kim Heeyoon

[Gurye=Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] “This is the second market since recovering from the flood disaster. It’s a rare busy season, but it’s disappointing that there are no people because of COVID-19. Still, I think this is better than nothing...”

The Jeonnam Gurye 5-Day Market, which suffered flood damage from record-breaking heavy rain, opened its second market on the 28th after emergency restoration. It is the first market in 51 days since two typhoons and COVID-19. Previously, the market opened its first market after restoration on the 18th.

Traces of the flood remain throughout the market. Merchants, who had been depressed due to slow recovery and the economic freeze caused by the resurgence of COVID-19, seem to have regained some vitality ahead of the Chuseok peak season.

Kim Jeongsun (alias), who has been selling vegetables in the market for 30 years, said, “The market was closed for over a month, so I moved to a permanent market, but coming back feels like I found my spot again, and it’s comfortable.”

Kim Sundeok, a housewife and Gurye resident who visited the market for the first time in a while, said, “I came after hearing the news that the market was restored, and even though it’s only partial, seeing the lively merchants makes me feel at ease as a local resident,” adding, “I hope the day when smiles return throughout Gurye comes soon.”

Many stores, including vegetable stalls, fruit shops, clothing stores, and fish shops, have resumed business, but deep traces of the flood remain throughout the market. Kang Jeongim (alias), who runs a clothing store, said, “Since the Korean War, this is the first time the market has been closed for such a long time,” and lamented, “Properties worth hundreds of millions of won were washed away by the water, and it’s really difficult to restart business with only a few million won in subsidies.”

Due to the nature of the market, merchants have traditionally stored goods inside their shops. According to the market merchants’ association, this caused greater damage to the Gurye 5-Day Market merchants, as most of their goods were submerged in water during this flood.

The Gurye 5-Day Market began restoration work immediately after the flood with active participation from residents and volunteers, but suffered triple hardships due to continuous heatwaves and the resurgence of COVID-19 following the typhoons.

The Gurye 5-Day Market, which opened after a long time, is bustling with activity. Among the 157 registered stores, only two-thirds opened for this market day.

Out of 157 registered stores, only two-thirds opened for this market. Stores that have not yet been restored and those that operated without registration but recently registered are also waiting for compensation. Yoo Byungsoo (alias), who has operated a hardware store for 25 years, said, “There is no compensation yet, but since damage claims are accepted until next week, I plan to wait a little longer.”

According to Gurye County’s statistics, the damage from the recent heavy rain alone amounts to 190.3 billion won. Of the 1,562 commercial buildings including the market, 77% (1,208 buildings) are located in Gurye-eup, and nearly half of those, 597 buildings, were submerged.

Park Jungseon, president of the Gurye Small Business Association, said, “About 70% of the flood damage restoration for the Gurye 5-Day Market and other commercial buildings has been completed, so the Chuseok market has brought some relief,” adding, “However, in Gurye, flood damage and COVID-19 damage overlap, and support funds are far insufficient compared to the scale of damage, so long-term support measures for small business owners, such as extension of policy loan repayments, are urgently needed.”

Meanwhile, Gurye County announced that it has secured a total of 332.4 billion won in special grants and national/provincial funds for flood damage restoration caused by the Seomjin River flooding from the heavy rain on the 30th, which is expected to accelerate flood recovery throughout the county, including the 5-Day Market.