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Busan Metropolitan City Conducts On-Site Visit to the Gijang Market Autonomous Commercial District to Accelerate Development of a Tourism- and Stay-Oriented Commercial Area

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that it will hold an on-site meeting today (the 20th) at 2:00 p.m. by visiting the Gijang Market Autonomous Commercial District in Gijang-gun to directly review the progress of the commercial district revitalization project and listen to opinions from local merchants.

This visit was arranged to confirm the direction of the five-year commercial district revitalization project for the Gijang Market area, which has been designated as an autonomous commercial district, and to gather feedback on on-site challenges and areas for improvement identified during project implementation.

First, the City will engage in broad discussions with merchants on the overall progress of the autonomous commercial district revitalization project and key pending issues throughout the implementation process.

During the meeting, the City will explain major tasks required for promoting the revitalization project and the step-by-step implementation plan, while merchants will directly convey the difficulties they face on the ground and submit suggestions arising during the project’s execution.

The City plans to actively incorporate the on-site feedback collected through the meeting into future operations of the autonomous commercial district and the implementation of commercial district revitalization policies.

The Gijang Market Autonomous Commercial District has been selected as a target area for the commercial district revitalization project and will receive total support of KRW 4 billion over five years starting this year to carry out the project.

In 2024, Gijang-gun promoted the Neighborhood Commercial District Powerhouse Support Project to establish governance structures, conduct local archiving, and formulate neighborhood commercial district strategies, thereby laying the foundational conditions for revitalization and strengthening the capacity of key commercial district stakeholders. Building on the experience and foundation gained through this project, the commercial district revitalization initiative will be linked and expanded.

This year, marking the first year of the project, planned initiatives include developing commercial district story branding, enhancing merchant capacity to strengthen linkages between the seafood market and tourism, hosting the Gijang Old Roads and Waterways Festa incorporating historical and cultural resources with tourism programs, and operating Gijang Market pop-up stores featuring diverse content.

In particular, since the KTX-Eum began stopping at Gijang Station in December last year, the City plans to leverage the improved transportation conditions to foster Gijang Market beyond a neighborhood-oriented commercial area into a tourism- and stay-oriented commercial district frequented by both tourists and local residents.

Given that Gijang Market possesses regional characteristics combining coastal tourism resources, local food offerings, and everyday commercial functions, the City intends to gradually promote commercial district revitalization strategies that link and utilize these assets.

In addition, the City will tour the Gijang Market area and visit major shops one by one to review market operating conditions and monitor price trends as experienced by residents.

By communicating directly with merchants, the City will assess the on-site atmosphere and operating environment firsthand, and closely listen to the difficulties and voices of merchants who have continued their livelihoods despite the economic downturn.

Based on the findings from this on-site visit and the opinions of merchants, the City will further strengthen and substantiate its commercial district revitalization policies centered on autonomous commercial districts.

Furthermore, the City plans to continue phased support and on-site, field-oriented communication to create a commercial environment where transportation, tourism, and consumption are interconnected, and to ensure the stable settlement of merchant-led operation of autonomous commercial districts.

Mayor Park Heong-joon stated, “The KTX-Eum stop at Gijang Station will serve as an important opportunity for Gijang to move beyond being merely a pass-through area and to grow into a commercial district that people intentionally visit,” adding, “We will accelerate commercial district revitalization projects centered on the autonomous commercial district so that Gijang Market can grow into an attractive consumption space for tourists while continuing to support the daily lives of local residents, thereby strengthening the competitiveness of the commercial district.”