Temporary Market Established for Seocheon Special Market Halted by Fire

On January 26, the Chungnam Seocheon Specialty Market, which had suspended operations due to a large fire, opened a temporary specialty market on the adjacent parking lot site on the 25th.

The newly opened temporary specialty market covers a total floor area of 4,361㎡. The large space steel structure houses 105 seafood stores, 12 restaurants, and 34 agricultural product stores. The modular buildings contain 73 general stores, and the containers hold 3 general stores, totaling 227 stores welcoming customers.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The opening ceremony was attended by Oh Ki-woong, Vice Minister of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, Kim Tae-heum, Governor of Chungnam Province, Kim Ki-woong, Mayor of Seocheon County, specialty market merchants, residents of Seocheon County, and citizens of Chungnam Province, who all cheered for the new start of the Seocheon temporary specialty market.

At the opening ceremony, Vice Minister Oh said, “Traditional markets play an important role as key economic communities in the region, and the Seocheon Specialty Market will once again leap forward as the central commercial district of Chungcheongnam-do and Seocheon County.”

Meanwhile, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups has expanded support for fire alarm facility installation and old wiring maintenance projects to enhance fire safety in traditional markets, and revised regulations to require the use of flame-retardant materials or higher grades in traditional market facilities.

Furthermore, for medium and large markets with more than 500 stores, stores adjacent to the market will be included in the fire inspection targets of the Fire Agency, and the scope of traditional markets will be expanded through cooperation with merchant associations and local governments.

In particular, to promote fire prevention activities centered on traditional market merchant associations, periodic safety education will be conducted jointly with 13 regional fire departments and the Small Enterprise and Market Service regional centers to strengthen autonomous fire safety activities of market merchants.