Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo visits Dongrae Market on Tuesday to hold a "100-Day Livelihood Dialogue" with merchants. Pictured is the entrance to Dongrae Market. [Dongnae-gu Office]
Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo visits Dongrae Market on Tuesday to hold a "100-Day Livelihood Dialogue" with merchants. Pictured is the entrance to Dongrae Market. [Dongnae-gu Office]

Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo visited Dongrae Market on Tuesday to hold a "100-Day Livelihood Dialogue" and hear directly from traditional market merchants about conditions on the ground.

About 10 people attended the afternoon session in the market's conference room, including the head of the merchants' association. The forum was organized so the mayor could hear firsthand the difficulties traders face amid a prolonged economic slowdown marked by high prices and weak consumer spending, and to explore ways to revive the local economy.

Jeon listened to an overview of the market's operations and took note of merchants' requests before discussing measures to support the revitalization of traditional markets. The city plans to use the feedback gathered at the forum to pursue policies aimed at boosting merchants' sales and stabilizing their businesses.

"Traditional markets are the front line of the everyday economy — the place closest to citizens' lives and a vital foundation supporting the local economy," Jeon said. "I will listen directly to voices from the field and make sure those views permeate every corner of our policy."

After the forum, Jeon toured shops inside Dongrae Market, encouraging merchants struggling with the summer heat and the economic downturn, and checked on conditions including the trading environment and market prices. He also visited newly enrolled Dongbaekjeon QR payment stores and personally handed over QR code panels, lending momentum to the city's push to expand the Dongbaekjeon QR merchant network and ease the card-fee burden on small business owners.

The Dongbaekjeon QR payment system lets customers scan a QR code displayed at a store using a smartphone app, enter the amount and complete the transaction — bypassing credit card companies and value-added network operators — with funds transferred directly to the merchant's account on the next business day. Unlike the standard Dongbaekjeon card, which carries an average fee of 1.45 percent, the QR system charges merchants no transaction fee. Payments are also automatically recorded as cash receipts in the national tax service's Hometax system, which is expected to help traditional market traders cut operating costs.

As part of its "Busan 100-Day Emergency Livelihood Measures," the city is aggressively expanding the Dongbaekjeon QR merchant network across traditional markets and neighborhood commercial districts. It plans to provide one-stop support — from enrollment guidance to QR panel installation — to rapidly spread a payment environment that reduces the card-fee burden on small businesses.

Beyond facility upgrades or one-off event support, Busan is prioritizing livelihood economy policies that offer tangible help to small business owners in traditional markets and neighborhood commercial districts by boosting sales and stabilizing operations. The city plans to move quickly on three measures to cut merchants' fixed costs and stimulate spending: energy voucher support, a temporary increase in the Dongbaekjeon cashback rate to 15 percent, and consumer-stimulus coupon support. The aim is to lower the burden on businesses and drive up foot traffic and sales in traditional markets and neighborhood commercial districts.


kaf2002@heraldcorp.com