Mayor Kim Dong-geun: "Supporting Uijeongbu Jeil Market Towards 100 Years..."

If Uijeongbu Station Area is Developed, Construction of a Three-Dimensional Pedestrian Bridge
Activation of Commercial Area Connecting Uijeongbu Station~Jeil Market~Jungnangcheon
Established in 1954, Established as a Representative Traditional Market in the Northern Region

"We will spare no support to develop Uijeongbu Jeil Market into a traditional market loved by citizens and to move toward a 100-year history."

Kim Dong-geun, mayor of Uijeongbu City, Gyeonggi Province, stated this on the 12th via social networking service (SNS) on the occasion of the '70th anniversary of Uijeongbu Jeil Market.' He said, "Uijeongbu Jeil Market started in 1954 as a five-day market where Korean War refugees made a living. It is now the largest representative traditional market in northern Gyeonggi."

Mayor Kim added, "Jeil Market is a symbolic place filled with the sorrows and memories of ordinary people and a representative space of Uijeongbu. Despite various difficulties such as economic crises like the IMF and epidemics like MERS and COVID-19, it has maintained its place for many years."

He continued, "However, due to low birth rates and a super-aged society, the youth population with high purchasing power is decreasing, and changes in consumption patterns that blur the boundaries between online and offline are causing structural difficulties for traditional markets."

He then said, "Many merchants say that now is more difficult than ever," and emphasized, "We must turn this crisis into an opportunity to build a 100-year history for Jeil Market." "Uijeongbu City will continuously support the market's transformation into a distinctive, attractive, and convenient place through facility modernization and commercial district revitalization."

Mayor Kim also stated, "Above all, once the Uijeongbu Station area development is completed, the Uijeongbu Station?Jeil Market?Jungnangcheon will be connected via a three-dimensional pedestrian bridge, naturally increasing the number of visitors to the market." He pledged, "I will do my best for the prosperity of Jeil Market, the central commercial district of Uijeongbu and the lifeline of the local economy."

Meanwhile, since its opening in 1954, Uijeongbu Jeil Market, with about 630 stores, has played an important role in revitalizing the local economy and has established itself as a representative traditional market in northern Gyeonggi. On the 11th, a grand '70th Anniversary Celebration of Uijeongbu Jeil Market' was held at the market.