Busan is good

The Taste and Memories of Jagalchi Market Go Global… Busan Metropolitan City and Jagalchi Ajimae Market Merchants’ Association Join Forces to Make It a Global Attraction

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that it will hold a meeting on creating Jagalchi Market as a global seafood landmark at 11:20 a.m. on the 3rd floor exhibition hall of Jagalchi Modern Market on the 29th.

At this meeting, Mayor Park Heong-joon will be joined by Choi Do-seok, Chair of the City Council’s Marine City Safety Committee, Council Member Kang Joo-taek, representatives of the Jagalchi Market Merchants’ Association, the President of Busan Infrastructure Corporation, and others to discuss development strategies for transforming the Jagalchi area into a seafood landmark and revitalizing the market.

At the meeting, Mayor Park will express his gratitude to the Merchants’ Association for maintaining close communication with the city despite difficult circumstances. He will also listen to opinions on how Jagalchi Market, which embodies the history of wartime refuge and the lives of ordinary citizens, can be reborn as a global seafood landmark, while sharing the city’s position.

Busan Metropolitan City built the Jagalchi Ajimae Market to improve pedestrian conditions in Jagalchi Market, the nation’s leading seafood market, and to establish safe and hygienic sales facilities.

Since 2015, as part of the “Jagalchi Global Seafood Landmark Development Project,” the city has sought to relocate the street stalls formed within Jagalchi Market. On a site of 5,649 square meters, two buildings with a total floor area of 4,268 square meters were constructed and are being managed by Busan Infrastructure Corporation.

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Jagalchi Market, a naturally formed market after Korea’s liberation, has been the representative seafood market driving Busan’s local economy for more than 70 years. However, due to poor conditions such as inadequate sanitation, safety, and convenience facilities, it has also been a source of inconvenience for citizens, tourists, and merchants alike.

The city has been preparing to relocate the street stalls into Jagalchi Ajimae Market, but has faced difficulties in reaching consensus with the Merchants’ Association on facility improvements. To address this, last April the city, Busan Infrastructure Corporation, and the Merchants’ Association jointly formed and operated a dedicated Task Force (TF).

Through six months of TF operations, the city collected merchants’ demands such as improving seawater intake facilities and expanding seawater capacity. With these improvements expected to be completed in the first half of 2026, the city decided to proceed with the relocation at that time.

On the occasion of this relocation, the city plans to develop a comprehensive strategy for revitalizing Jagalchi Market. In 2026, it will promote a strategic planning study jointly with experts and the Merchants’ Association.

The study will include planning tasks such as: customized hygiene and safety management aligned with global trends, establishment of a fresh delivery system, creation of car-free streets, and transforming Jagalchi Market into a multi-cultural space where storytelling that captures its history and atmosphere coexists with cultural experiences.

The representative of the Merchants’ Association stated, “We hope that through the revitalization plan promoted by Busan Metropolitan City, Jagalchi Market will become a world-class attraction enjoyed by both domestic and international tourists, and merchants will actively participate as well.”

Mayor Park Heong-joon said, “Jagalchi Market will not only serve as a place for seafood transactions but will also be reborn as a space where visitors can experience the history and culture of Busan. We will foster Jagalchi Market into a leading global brand of maritime culture and seafood tourism, and we will spare no effort in providing support.”