Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon (center) poses for a photo with participants from small business-related organizations at the "Success Knocking Seminar for Small Business Owners" held at Seoul City Hall's multipurpose hall on Monday. [Seoul Metropolitan Government]
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon (center) poses for a photo with participants from small business-related organizations at the "Success Knocking Seminar for Small Business Owners" held at Seoul City Hall's multipurpose hall on Monday. [Seoul Metropolitan Government]

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said Monday he will establish "moonlight night markets" across all 25 of the city's districts by 2028 to revitalize Seoul's nighttime economy, and pledged to expand issuance of the Seoul Love Gift Certificate alongside a record 3 trillion won in financial support.

Oh made the remarks at the "Success Knocking Seminar for Seoul Small Business Owners" held Monday morning at Seoul City Hall, where he outlined the city's support policies for small business owners and pledged to actively back neighborhood commercial districts and traditional markets as key engines of Seoul's economic growth.

The seminar was co-hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Shinhan Bank and the Seoul Credit Guarantee Foundation, drawing about 200 small business owners and related officials. Special lectures were delivered by Oh, YouTuber "Delivery Coach Jang" and author Kim Yu-jin, and a comprehensive small business consulting booth was also on offer.

"Improving the quality of life that citizens actually feel starts in the alleyways," Oh said. "Amid the prolonged reality of high exchange rates, high prices and high interest rates, Seoul will structurally reduce cost burdens and build a system that closely supports small business owners throughout their entire lifecycle — from startup and growth to overcoming crises and trying again."

He added that the city would expand online sales channel support and proactively identify and assist struggling small business owners, while also increasing issuance of the Seoul Love Gift Certificate, which eases the burden on neighborhood economies and on citizens' household budgets at the same time.

Oh also highlighted plans to revamp the "Seoul Delivery+ Ddaenggyeoyo" platform — which currently has about 62,000 affiliated merchants and 2.9 million users and charges a brokerage commission 2 percentage points lower than competitors — to create a more convenient environment for both citizens and small business owners. He said the city would expand mutual-benefit promotions such as delivery fee support and discount coupon issuance.

Oh outlined plans to activate a "nighttime economy" as a new growth engine for Seoul, leveraging the city's appeal as it moves toward an era of 20 million tourists a year. The goal is to build a structure in which tourists stay longer and spend more, channeling revenue into local commercial districts and small business owners' sales.

"We will actively reflect voices from the field, streamline unnecessary regulations and create dignified 'moonlight night markets' in every district by 2028," Oh said. "We will provide integrated support — from environmental improvements to commercial district branding and marketing — to complete Seoul as a city that is alive 24 hours a day."

Oh closed by saying the city's policy goal for small business owners is "to create a virtuous cycle in which small business owners can run their businesses with peace of mind, neighborhood streets come alive, and that vitality flows through to the entire Seoul economy," adding that "Seoul will serve as a ladder of growth for small business owners."


ikson@heraldcorp.com