Everyone's Doing 'Tteori'... Fruit and Vegetable Market Turns into a Battlefield Amid Heavy Rain and High Prices

End of Jangma on 26th, Start of Heatwave
Unsold Fruits... Rot Quickly After Rain
Inflation Rate at 2%... Merchants Say "Feels Higher"

At 3 p.m. on the 26th, at the Cheongnyangni Fruit and Vegetable Market in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, fruit vendors lined both sides of the wide asphalt road, selling their fruits. The vendors raised their voices to try to catch the attention of passersby, but it was of little use. Soon, a strange tension spread among the fruit vendors. A silent battle began to see who would start the 'clearance sale' by lowering prices first. The signal was fired by an apple vendor. From the moment he started selling 8 apples for 5,000 won instead of 5 apples for the same price, the market dynamics changed. The neighboring shops immediately began clearance sales as well. The peach shop right next door lowered the price of 'ddakddaki peaches,' which were 5,000 won for 10, to 3,000 won. "Now 3,000 won!" Even as the peach vendor shouted about the price drop, passersby ignored him and walked by.

A merchant selling fruit at Cheongnyangni Fruit and Vegetable Market on the 26th. Due to rain, the fruit is spoiling and customers have decreased, causing poor business. / Photo by Gong Byung-sun mydillon@

Although the Korea Meteorological Administration declared the end of the rainy season, the difficulties faced by fruit vendors continue. Prices are rising, customers are decreasing, and fruits have become harder to sell due to prolonged exposure to rain. Because fruits lose their market value when exposed to rain for a long time, it is common to sell them off quickly at a loss before they rot. Ms. Lee (72, female), who has been running a business at Cheongnyangni Fruit and Vegetable Market for 10 years, said, "I heard that fruits rot while being transported from the provinces to Seoul," adding, "Since they rot so quickly, we have to urgently sell the goods. Peaches that should be sold at 10,000 won for 5 to make a profit are now being sold bundled as 8 for the same price."

Even though the rainy season is over, there is no room for relaxation. The increasingly powerful typhoons have yet to arrive. Ms. Lee sighed, saying, "If a typhoon damages the provinces where fruits are grown, it could become difficult to even obtain goods," and "Now that it is summer vacation season, there probably won’t be many customers, so I’m worried that we will just have to wait until Chuseok."

Rainy season ended but fruits still spoiled... "They rot quickly, so we have to sell urgently"

On the 26th, I visited Cheongnyangni Fruit and Vegetable Market. People are passing by and looking at the fruits.
Photo by Gong Byung-sun mydillon@

The common opinion among market vendors is that the perceived inflation rate after the rainy season is very high. According to Statistics Korea, last month’s consumer price inflation rate was 2.7%, marking the first time in 21 months that inflation was in the 2% range, but vendors did not agree with this. Ms. Park (74, female), who has been selling Korean melons for over 10 years, said, "The price of a box of Korean melons that used to be 10,000 won has risen to 25,000 won in just a week," adding, "It seems the inflation caused by heavy rain has not yet been reflected. Customers feel burdened by rising prices, so they don’t come to the market."

It is not only fruit vendors who are struggling due to heavy rain. Restaurants near the fruit and vegetable market also wore a gloomy expression due to decreasing customers. One Korean buffet restaurant complained that business has not improved even though the COVID-19 pandemic has ended. With prices rising, it is hard to endure. They also find it difficult to raise prices again for fear of losing the few customers they still have, especially since prices were already raised during COVID-19. Mr. Jung (70, male), the buffet owner, said, "I still thought COVID-19 was raging. Customer recovery is just not happening," adding, "The restaurant used to be packed during meal times, but now there are empty spots here and there."

Nearby businesses also distressed... "Still feels like the COVID-19 era"

On the 26th, a grandmother selling fruit at the Cheongnyangni Fruit and Vegetable Market began to lower prices after 4 p.m. She is opening a box and writing the reduced price with a pen.
Photo by Gong Byung-seon mydillon@

An elderly woman selling peaches in a corner of the market admitted defeat among the vendors rushing to lower prices. She tore off one side of a box and began scribbling with a pen that she would reduce the price of a box of peaches from 10,000 won to 8,000 won. When asked if she would still make a profit selling at that price, the woman replied, "Profit? No way, I’m just going to take these home cheap." She hung the piece of box announcing the price reduction in front of her stall, but no customers came.