First Lady Kim Geon-hee Visits Busan Specialty Product Shops and Kkangtong Market to Encourage Merchants During Vacation

Private Visit to Myeongran Brand Research Institute

First Lady Kim Geon-hee is seen visiting Busan Kkangtong Market on the 6th, chatting with merchants. Photo captured from an online community.

First Lady Kim Keon-hee, wife of President Yoon Suk-yeol, visited a traditional market and a local specialty product development company in Busan during her summer vacation on the 6th. Amid the ongoing heatwave, she is reported to have encouraged merchants by visiting the local traditional market to support the regional economy and boost domestic consumption.

A presidential office official said, "Kim minimized the number of accompanying personnel and visited the Busan traditional market and a local specialty product development company the day before," adding, "Her visit to Busan was a private schedule and was not announced in advance considering the holiday crowds."

On the previous day around 4:30 p.m., Kim visited the 'Myeongran Brand Research Institute' in Choryang-dong, Dong-gu, Busan. This place develops foods and character merchandise using myeongran, a representative seafood product of Busan.

Kim said, "It is a good example of commercializing myeongran, a representative food of the Busan region, into character products such as dolls and socks for sale," and encouraged the officials by saying, "Developing many tourism products like this will greatly help activate domestic consumption."

She continued, "Not only food but also various attempts and efforts to promote Choryang’s specialty myeongran through goods development using characters are impressive," adding, "I hope it becomes widely known that Busan is the center and origin of myeongran, and that myeongran fish cake will be reborn as a representative food of Busan."

Kim took commemorative photos holding myeongran character merchandise with the staff and left a message in the guestbook saying, "Myeongran fish cake, a Dong-gu specialty product combining fish cake and myeongran, is the best, awesome."

After visiting the Myeongran Brand Research Institute, she went to Kkangtong Market in Jung-gu, Busan, to meet merchants. Kim purchased two bags of garlic and jujube at the market, then stopped by a red bean shaved ice shop, and when merchants requested photos, she agreed to take selfies.

She is reported to have urged citizens she met at the market to use traditional markets.