Namdong-gu Approves Application for Large-scale Store Opening Registration
Emart Traders in Guwol-dong, Namdong-gu, Incheon, which had sparked controversy over infringement on local commercial districts, has completed all permit procedures and is scheduled to begin construction soon.
Namdong-gu, Incheon announced on the 13th that the large-scale store opening registration applied for by Emart has been processed.
According to the district, the Distribution Industry Win-Win Development Council recently approved Emart's large-scale store opening registration application through the second written meeting.
Following the council's opinion, Emart submitted a regional cooperation plan to the district, including a traditional market win-win agreement, support for small business owners, residents, and marginalized groups.
With all related permit procedures completed, Emart can start construction immediately upon filing a construction notification with the district. The completion target date proposed by Emart to the district is 2025.
A Namdong-gu official said, "Emart has not yet filed a construction notification," adding, "After that, the store can open if a notice of opening is given 60 days before starting operations."
This project involves building a warehouse-style large mart with one basement floor and four above-ground floors on a 32,000㎡ site in Guwol-dong. The planned site is included in the 'Traditional Commercial Preservation Zone,' which has sparked local community controversy over whether to grant building permission. In 2011, the district designated the area within a 1 km radius of six traditional markets in the region as a Traditional Commercial Preservation Zone under the Distribution Industry Development Act.
Local civic groups and merchants have opposed the construction, stating, "The Guwol Wholesale Traditional Market is located only about 400 meters in a straight line from the site where Traders will be built," and "To protect the commercial district of the local traditional market, the construction of Traders should not be permitted."
Conscious of this public opinion, the Namdong-gu Building Committee twice put a hold on the building permit for Traders, but in the third review in December last year, it approved the Emart Traders construction plan with the condition to register the large-scale store before construction.
At that time, the district made this decision because the planned project site is in the Traditional Commercial Preservation Zone, where large-scale store registration can be restricted.
According to related ordinances, to open a large-scale store in the Traditional Commercial Preservation Zone, a commercial district impact assessment report and a regional cooperation plan must be submitted, and consultations with the local government’s Distribution Industry Win-Win Development Council must be conducted.
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