More Than Half the Lights Off at Gwangju Nam-gu 'Street Food Zone' Even During Opening Hours

Visitor Complaints Rise Less Than Two Months After Opening... Business Hours Not Followed

Notes Like 'Out', 'Closed', 'Preparing' Left on Store Doors

Contract Specifies 11 AM to 11 PM Operation... Official Says "Will Provide Guidance"

On the morning of the 21st, a store in the Street Food Zone at Baegun Square, Nam-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, remains closed with its lights off and has not yet started operating.

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] # Resident A of Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, recently left home with friend B to have lunch at the Nam-gu Street Food Zone, which has been gaining buzz. Checking the operating hours, it was from 11 a.m. Since there was an afternoon schedule, they arrived just after 11 a.m. to have an early lunch but ended up eating at a nearby restaurant instead of the Street Food Zone. This was because only a handful of stores were open.

The 'Street Food Zone' in front of the Nam-gu Office, ambitiously promoted by Nam-gu, Gwangju, has been accumulating visitors' complaints less than two months after its opening.

Aside from the lack of seating, although the official operating hours are from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., in reality, each store operates on different schedules, causing customers to leave empty-handed.

At 11 a.m. on the 21st, at Baegun Square Street Food Zone in Nam-gu, Gwangju.

The 40 stores here should have finished preparing to sell food and goods and started normal operations as promised.

This is because the store owners, supported by Nam-gu, agreed to operate from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. at the time of contract.

However, many of the stores lined up facing the sidewalk and lawn were dark without any signs of activity, resembling warehouses.

Some stores had notices on their glass doors indicating closure, and memos such as "Making jelly now," "Out," and "Opening at 4 p.m." were as varied as the different foods sold in the food zone.

About half of the 40 stores were "sleeping in" like this. A few stores that had their doors wide open and lights on looked rather unusual.

Some places had opened but were only just starting preparations, such as cutting ingredients, pouring cooking oil into fryers, or sweeping the floor with a broom.

One store owner said, "We are setting up now, but it will take a little more time to start selling. Still, it should be possible before noon."

Has this situation been ongoing? Although it might be attributed to the opening effect, it was a stark contrast to the bustling scenes during the first few days after opening. Even the few citizens who visited tended to glance once and pass by.

This is analyzed to be because the varying operating hours of each store fail to satisfy the diverse preferences and tastes of customers.

One citizen criticized, "Many self-employed people find it hard to keep their shops open from early morning until late at night, but if they do not value the basic promise of operating hours with customers, they will surely be ignored in the market."

A Nam-gu official said, "We are educating and guiding store owners to strictly observe operating hours," adding, "We will pay special attention to ensure compliance going forward."

Meanwhile, the 'Street Food Zone,' a key project of Nam-gu Mayor Kim Byung-nae, was promoted to revive the stagnant economy.