Yoon Visits Geoje Traditional Market, Says "Livelihood Issues Must Be Resolved for Proper Functioning"

Purchase of Jeoneo and Nongeo... Merchants say "Please make a good country," Yoon responds "I will take good care"

President Yoon Suk-yeol visited the traditional market in Geoje, Gyeongnam on the 4th and encouraged the merchants by saying, "Small business owners and self-employed individuals are the top priority," adding, "The country can only function properly when your livelihood issues are resolved."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On that afternoon, President Yoon visited Gohyeon General Market, the largest traditional market in Geoje City, where he shopped and communicated with small business owners and local residents, according to a written briefing by Kim Eun-hye, the presidential office’s chief public relations officer.

At the market, which was crowded with about 1,500 Geoje residents and tourists, President Yoon greeted people by saying, "Nice to see you. Stay healthy," and mainly purchased sashimi seafood such as gizzard shad, sea bass, and flatfish. While meeting elderly citizens at the market, he shook hands with each of them and offered kind words like, "Please stay healthy," and "You seem vigorous, perhaps because you eat a lot of sashimi, which makes me happy."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In particular, merchants at the market asked the president to create a prosperous country where ordinary people can live well, requesting handshakes or selfies with him. President Yoon gladly responded, saying, "Small business owners and self-employed individuals are the top priority. The country can only function properly when your livelihood issues are resolved," and added, "I will take good care of it."

President Yoon’s visit that day was conducted with a minimal entourage to avoid causing inconvenience to residents. This was President Yoon’s first visit to Geoje Gohyeon Market since taking office and his second visit overall, following one during his presidential candidacy. On the third day of his summer vacation, President Yoon was staying at Jeodo, the presidential retreat in Geoje. The previous day, he toured the naval base in Jinhae, Gyeongnam, wearing a Cheonan ship cap and T-shirt.