Small Business Owners at Traditional Market Voiced Opposition to SSM Ordiance

This is Gong-duk market located in central Seoul, one of the 16-hundred traditional markets in Korea.
However, the business here isn't as good as it used to be,especially since January, when a large retailer in Korea opened a branch only 200 meters away from here.

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[Interview : Choi Byung-keun, Shop owner] "Compared to large retailers, we fall behind in terms of facilities. How can we survive if they flood the market with their large volume of products.

[Interview : Choi Jong-ho, Shop owner] "I hope large retailers are reconsidering their decision to open near traditional markets, to help us survive".

At another traditional market in Mang-won district, the opinions of small business owners are not different.

[Interview : Park Ji-won jiwonpark@arirang.co.kr] "For shop owners here, the government's measure to limit the working hours on weekends of large retailers is not enough to protect traditional markets".

[Interview : Choi Gui-soon, Shop owner
] "People these days shop once a week at those large supermarkets, and they don't come to us. Closing down for two days a month does not help us at all".

[Interview : Seo Kyung-mo, Shop owner] "It seems like the government only cares about big retailers. The government communicates with them, not with us".

The Korea Chainstores Association. which represents all the retail conglomerates operating in Korea, such as Emart, Lotte Mart and Homeplus, refused to comment on the matter.
Instead, they released a press statement,.. saying that the government's regulation forcing them to close for two days a month, violates the basic rights protected by the Constitution, including the right to equal treatment.
They argue that the regulation violates consumers' rights as well, and will hamper price stabilization.
They filed a constitutional appeal, to repeal the ordinance.
And they estimate that the damage from closing down two days a month, could reach about 560 billion won, or nearly 500 million US dollars per year, a figure that only includes losses from domestic agricultural and fishery products.
Consumers, however, think traditional markets and large retailers each have two different charms.

[Interview : Yang Gyung-nam, Customer] "Of course large retailers are good and convenient, but the service at this traditional market is good, and it has its own charms".

Now, how to reconcile these conflict of interests and bring forth co-existence between these two types of markets remains an issue to be solved.
Park Ji-won, Arirang News.