Korea pushes to make traditional markets more user-friendly

Visitors shop for fruit ahead of the Chuseok holiday at Haeundae Market in Busan, Sept. 4, 2022. Yonhap

Korea’s tourism authorities are turning their attention to traditional markets, launching a standardized campaign Friday to target long-standing consumer friction points such as unlisted prices, poor hygiene and cash-only transactions.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, alongside the Korea Tourism Organization, will introduce a two-day "K-Tourism Market Smile Campaign" at Haeundae Market in the southeastern port city of Busan. The initiative aims to institutionalize a modern retail culture at the bustling open-air venue just ahead of the peak summer tourist rush and an influx of large-scale public performances.

Haeundae Market is one of 11 traditional markets nationwide selected under a state-backed program designed to turn local, historic trading hubs into global tourist destinations. Launched in 2023, the government initiative funds infrastructure, curated tourism content and international marketing for markets showing high potential to attract foreign travelers. Haeundae Market was brought into the fold as part of the program's second cohort.

The regulatory push anchors on four core service innovations: strict fixed pricing, credit card acceptance, enhanced sanitation and courteous service. While such baseline standards are ubiquitous across Korea’s modern department stores and convenience store chains, enforcement has historically been spotty across older, traditional markets. The lack of transparency has often alienated younger domestic consumers and international visitors alike.

Working alongside the local Haeundae merchants' association, government officials will inspect stalls to ensure sellers clearly display product names, exact prices and standardized sales units for the market’s signature street foods. To build an environment of accountability, visitors will be invited to cast ballots for vendors adhering closest to the new guidelines in a "Smile Best Stall" contest.

The ministry is also adding financial incentives to jump-start foot traffic.

Organizers will construct a dedicated street-food experience zone, and shoppers who present a receipt for purchases exceeding 10,000 won ($7.20) will receive a 4,000 won voucher redeemable elsewhere in the market.

The broader standardization effort extends to other prominent regional hubs, including Mangwon and Gyeongdong markets in Seoul, Seomun Market in Daegu and Dongmun Traditional Market on Jeju Island. By enforcing consumer protections, officials hope to transform these markets into reliable pillars of national tourism.

"This campaign is a tourism-promotion movement aimed at spreading the kindness and trust in affordable prices that tourists value most," said Kang Dong-jin, director general of tourism policy at the ministry, noting that the ultimate goal is to make these markets places travelers want to visit again.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.