The direct-trade market and yutnori event on Sept. 17–18 aim to ease the holiday shopping burden ahead of chuseok, with special offerings including Jinju's five-color royal garaetteok and Sancheong-gun's dried persimmons to take the guesswork out of holiday table settings and gift-giving.
Seocho-gu in Seoul will host the "Chuseok Seocho Direct-Trade Market" on Sept. 17–18, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Seocho-gu Office plaza and the nearby Music Promenade.
The market, expanded for the chuseok holiday season, will bring together more than 50 farms from municipalities across the country that have partnership agreements with the district, along with local agricultural cooperatives Nam Seoul and Gangnam, and Maljukgeori Sangga — Seocho-gu's first designated alley-type shopping street.
Special chuseok items on offer include five-color royal garaetteok from Jinju, brown rice chips from Yeoju and dried persimmon from Sancheong-gun, aimed at helping residents plan their holiday tables and find gift ideas. Shoppers can also pick up other popular local specialties at discounted prices, including Cheongyang-gun's Hanwoo beef and pork, Geochang-gun apples and wild-cultivated mountain ginseng from Hamyang-gun.
Alongside this, a yutnori event booth will be set up to add a festive chuseok atmosphere to the shopping experience. The event runs for two hours starting at 11 a.m. on Sept. 17, with visitors who roll a "yut" or "mo" receiving agricultural prizes prepared by the agricultural cooperative.
The Seocho Direct-Trade Market is the only district-run market in Seoul that has operated regularly for 24 consecutive years, held every second and fourth Thursday and Friday of the month at the Seocho-gu Office plaza. It has built a loyal following by offering residents quality local produce at affordable prices while giving participating farms and small shops a channel to expand sales and boost revenue. The market was held 10 times in the first half of this year, with average sales exceeding 100 million won ($74,700) per event, injecting vitality into the local economy.
"The Seocho Direct-Trade Market is a place where urban consumers and rural producers come together for mutual benefit," Seocho-gu District Mayor Jeon Seong-su said. "I hope this market helps residents prepare for chuseok wisely and serves as an opportunity to energize the local economy."
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