 The “Little Manila” market in Hyehwa-dong is filled with street stalls selling Philippine food and products every Sunday. / Korea Times photo by Cathy Rose A. Garcia |
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia, Kwon Mee-you
The Jongno district office has backed down from its original plan to downsize the “Little Manila” market in Hyehwa-dong.
Ban Sung-tai, an official from the Jongno district office, said the “Little Manila” market will be allowed to maintain its current size, as long as it does not violate any regulations or disrupt the area.
“We are allowing them to maintain the market as it is, as long as the vendors follow the guidelines. The market looks better, but it is still not very clean,” Ban told The Korea Times.
Park Il-sun, the head of the Filipino vendors’ association, said the vendors will work to comply with the district’s regulations. “They agreed to let the market continue as it is, as long as it does not disturb the neighborhood,” Park said.
However, a handful of vendors were given the boot because Jongno officials did not want the fountain to be blocked by street stalls. Another regulation requires vendors to be married to a Korean spouse before being allowed to sell at the market.
“I used to have a stall over there,” a former Filipino vendor said, motioning to the empty space near the fountain. “They said I’m no longer allowed to have a stall because I’m not married to a Korean. What kind of rule is that? Isn’t this market supposed to be for Filipinos? We’re just trying to make a decent living.”
Vendors are also only allowed to have a four square meter area, marked by white paint on the ground.
“If any of the items go past the white lines, the officials will confiscate the items... It’s already become very small and we can’t sell a lot anymore,” said vendor Juvy Oh, as she stood surrounded by plastic boxes filled with Philippine products on the ground.
The Korea Times visited the market last Sunday, and found that there was relatively light pedestrian traffic in the morning and late afternoon. About a dozen stalls sell cooked Philippine food, while others are stocked with canned goods, snacks and drinks. The peak time for crowds is between 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. when people leave church and spill out into the street.
“People like to buy at the market after mass, that’s why there are many people. But after that, there’s only a few people going here. We don’t really see a problem with the crowds except for that time,” said Ernie Templonuevo who runs one of the stalls.
The market, which began in 1996, has already been the subject of stricter regulations by the Jongno district since earlier this year. Residents and shopkeepers complained about the traffic in the streets, overcrowding on the sidewalks and disturbances in the area.
“I don’t know why there are complaints about the market. We aren’t doing anything bad here,” said Noel, a factory worker who has been living in Korea for seven years.
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