Why Yangcheon-gu Became the First Autonomous District in Seoul Officially Certified as a Fair Trade City?

Certification of Fair Trade City Passed on the 12th by Yangcheon-gu Korean Fair Trade Village Committee Leading Ethical Consumption

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Yangcheon-gu (Mayor Kim Soo-young) is taking the first step as a Fair Trade City among the autonomous districts of Seoul.

On the afternoon of the 13th, the district held a certificate presentation ceremony for the 'Fair Trade City' with the Korea Fair Trade Town Committee at the Open Participation Room.

Fair trade is a civic movement aimed at solving the unfair trade and poverty issues in the Third World through ethical consumption that pays producers a fair price and supplies consumers with quality products.

The Fair Trade City certification is granted through an evaluation by the Korea Fair Trade Town Committee, the Korean certification body of the International Fair Trade Towns Committee, to cities that have exemplary practices in the fair trade movement. Yangcheon-gu's certification as a Fair Trade City is the 12th following Seoul, Gyeonggi-do, and Incheon, and the first among Seoul's autonomous districts.

Previously, starting with the enactment of the 'Yangcheon-gu Fair Trade Support and Promotion Ordinance' in July last year, the district has carried out various fair trade support projects. These include ▲holding resident policy meetings and fair trade committee meetings ▲securing new sales outlets for fair trade products ▲training local activists and conducting online and offline fair trade campaigns, promoting ethical consumption through fair trade in various fields.

Additionally, to make it easy for residents to understand and participate, a fair trade product promotion center was established and opened at the Mok 5-dong Social Economy Support Center, and on December 10 last year, a private fair trade council for public-private cooperation was formed through a general meeting.

Furthermore, two district-run daycare centers in the area (Mok 2-dong Daycare Center and Sinwol 5-dong Eunhasu Daycare Center) were selected as fair trade practice institutions, fulfilling all the major requirements for Fair Trade City certification.

Based on these efforts, Yangcheon-gu, certified as a Fair Trade City, plans to continue expanding fair trade product sales outlets, enhancing consumer accessibility, and carrying out fair trade education and campaign activities.

Kim Soo-young, Mayor of Yangcheon-gu, stated, “This Fair Trade City certification is the result of steady preparation together with the private sector. I thank everyone who helped and will continue to take the lead in revitalizing the fair trade movement.”