Busan City Launches Relay Visits to Traditional Markets to "Find Answers On Site"
On-Site Inspections and Listening to Difficulties
Consecutive Visits Following Bansong Large Market
Mayor Park Hyungjoon of Busan is heading to the field to find solutions for revitalizing traditional markets.
The Busan Metropolitan Government announced that at 2:50 p.m. on the 24th, Mayor Park Hyungjoon will visit Dangam Alley Market in Busanjin-gu to inspect the progress of the arcade installation, check parking environment issues, and communicate with local merchants.
The city explained that this visit is intended to directly listen to merchants on site and identify the practical challenges facing traditional markets.
The focus will be on discussing support measures to help traditional markets become more competitive through facility modernization and improved customer accessibility, such as parking lots.
This visit follows Mayor Park’s trip to Bansong Large Market in Haeundae-gu on March 20 and reflects the city’s efforts to directly check project sites, engage with merchants, and develop tangible livelihood policies.
Dangam Alley Market, established around 1970, is a representative traditional market that has long played a central role in the local economy. Although many merchants still make their living here, the aging facilities and lack of customer amenities have led to growing inconvenience for visitors, highlighting the need for environmental improvements.
Additionally, the absence of a dedicated parking lot means that citizens visiting the market face significant inconvenience due to insufficient parking facilities.
Because there is no suitable parking space nearby, many visitors struggle to park or give up visiting altogether, leading to a vicious cycle of declining store sales. This has been a serious factor negatively affecting the continued growth and competitiveness of traditional markets.
The Busan Metropolitan Government is promoting the installation of an arcade within the market so that customers can shop in a more pleasant environment regardless of the weather. The detailed design is currently underway, with construction scheduled to begin in the second half of the year. The city is also actively considering various policy supports to improve market accessibility, such as the creation of a public parking lot.
On this day, Mayor Park plans to personally experience the inconveniences faced by market users, engage in various conversations with merchants, and gather diverse opinions to come up with practical solutions.
Mayor Park Hyungjoon said, "It is most important to see and hear things directly on site," and added, "I will continue to visit livelihood sites, reflect citizens’ voices in policy, and actively pursue support measures for revitalizing traditional markets, including facility modernization and improved convenience for visitors."
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