Already 10,000 Visitors at Yesan Market... 'Baek Jong-won Magic' Worked

'Budget Market Revitalization Project' a Great Success

Chungnam Yesan Market bustling with visitors. Photo by Yesan County

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] The "Yesan Market Revitalization Project," jointly conducted by Baek Jong-won, CEO of The Born Korea and a food service entrepreneur, and Yesan County in Chungnam, is thriving.

Yesan County announced on the 19th that after five stores founded by CEO Baek opened within Yesan Market, the number of visitors surpassed 10,000 within a week.

CEO Baek, who is originally from Yesan, planned and prepared this project since 2019 to revitalize Yesan Market, which had seen a decline in visitors. Currently, the vacancy rate of stores within Yesan Market is known to exceed 50%.

Previously, CEO Baek raised expectations by releasing a video on his YouTube channel explaining the motivation and progress of the project. He stated, "It was a place full of memories (Yesan Market), but I was shocked to see 'For Rent' signs everywhere. The region has become so difficult that if this continues, the area might disappear," explaining his reason for taking on the market revitalization.

CEO Baek directly purchased and remodeled five closed stores within the market and began operations on the 9th. The five newly opened stores mainly sell Korean dishes such as noodles, grilled chicken, and spicy braised chicken. Recently, many videos by YouTubers and influencers who visited Yesan Market have been uploaded on social networking services (SNS) like YouTube and Instagram.

Yesan County is also considering increasing the number of stores by about three more, depending on future visitor trends.