"No Worries About Japanese Contaminated Water" ... Over 15,000 Visitors During Masan Fish Market Festival

Fish Market Merchants Association, "Sales Exceed Expectations Due to Citizens Coming to Eat Jeoneo Hoe"

During the festival period at Masan Fish Market in Changwon Special City, Gyeongnam, over 15,000 people visited, concluding the event successfully.

The festival, held from the 25th to the 27th over three days around Masan Fish Market, raised concerns that citizens' visits might decrease due to the discharge of contaminated water from Japan. However, after COVID-19, people of all ages visited this major event in Masan to enjoy seasonal seafood and performances.

Many citizens are watching the Masan Fish Market Festival.
[Image provided by Changwon Special City Hall]

Following the announcement of Japan's contaminated water discharge, it was expected that the fish market economy would suffer due to reduced consumer sentiment. However, during the festival, citizens from across the country flocked to enjoy Jeon-eo, the representative dish of Masan Fish Market, making the restaurants extremely crowded during peak times.

The organizers, the Masan Fish Market Merchants Association, estimated that about 15,000 people visited during the festival period.

Changwon City plans to utilize its own big data to extract and analyze various data such as the number of visitors and sales during the festival period, and use the results for future festival planning. The results will be released at the end of September.

During the festival, various attractions such as a citizen song contest, seafood cooking competition, and popular singer congratulatory performances were provided to visitors, satisfying all five senses.

A merchant at Masan Fish Market said, “The Jeon-eo prepared for the festival period was quickly sold out, so we called water trucks 2 to 3 more times to supply more Jeon-eo,” adding, “The festival greatly helped increase sales.”

Shim Myeong-seop, president of the Masan Fish Market Merchants Association, said, “Contrary to concerns, many citizens visited during the festival, and the live fish street was filled with people coming to eat Jeon-eo,” and added, “The Merchants Association will continue to strive to supply safe seafood, and we ask citizens to feel assured and continue consuming seafood.”