Half of Myeong-dong vendors to be expelled
People take a look at strawberries sold by a vendor on the main street in Myeong-dong, central Seoul, Tuesday. Jung-gu Office will phase out all street vendors to make the commercial district more comfortable for tourists to walk around. / Korea Times
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Jung-gu Office said Tuesday it will halve the number of street venders in Myeong-dong, central Seoul, to 130 from its current 272, a move to make the commercial zone more comfortable for tourists to walk around.
The new measure was reached in consultation with the association of street vendors.
Under the agreement, street vendors will hang an identification card with their names and photos on their carts. It also imposed a strict ban on vendors selling near subway stations, bus stops or intersection areas.
The district office will eventually phase out all venders. They will be allowed to do business for a grace period of two years. Some, depending on their income status, will be granted a year’s extension. The district office meanwhile has warned that venders that violate the provision will be compelled to close their business.
These new rules will only apply to vendors who are affiliated with the Myeong-dong venders’ association ostensibly leaving independent vendors unprotected.
Choi Chang-sik, the head of the district office, said, “Our ultimate goal is to remove all street shops from Myeong-dong in the future.”
Officials from the district office met vendors and merchants owning shops in the shopping district almost every day from last May to reach this final agreement with the vendor association.
A 70-year-old vendor, who was selling strawberries, said, “Things got worse these days as I have to move out in either case officials from the Jung-Gu Office come here to crackdown on street vendors like me or those who are affiliated with Myeong-dong vendors’ association spot me selling strawberry here,” the fruit vendor said.
He told The Korea Times that he does not make much money because he is not allowed to sell in the central area of Myeong-dong.
The vendor starts work at around 10 a.m., targeting his customers, mainly early-bird tourists but soon has to make way for vendors associated with the association at 2pm.
“Independent” vendors like the 70-year-old strawberry seller are the worst affected by the new regulations imposed by the Jung-Gu Office from March 19.
Street vendors were a headache to the district authorities for various reasons. They didn’t pay taxes, their presence created congestions on the streets of the shopping district. Nearly 7 million foreign tourists visited Myeong-dong last year.