Suwon Proclaims Vision as 'Local Commerce Protection City'

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Jeong Jun-sung] Suwon Special City has proclaimed ‘Local Commerce Protection City, Suwon’ to protect local commerce and inject vitality into the local economy.

Mayor Lee Jae-jun of Suwon announced the vision at the ‘Local Commerce Protection City Vision Proclamation Ceremony’ held at the Jeongjo Theme Performance Hall on May 1st, introducing the strategy to create a local commerce protection city, saying, “We will pursue five key projects and 60 detailed initiatives through three strategies of growth, co-prosperity, and support.”

The ‘Growth Strategy’ includes △intensive cultivation of ‘Saebit Shops,’ which are alley-type shopping districts △expansion of Suwon Pay issuance △expanded support for traditional markets △‘Kkalmatchum’ strategy leveraging the unique appeal of traditional markets △regular holding of Saebit Sale Festa in May and November each year.

Once designated as a Saebit shopping district, merchants will be granted qualifications equivalent to traditional markets, enabling use of Omni Gift Certificates, and the Suwon Pay merchant standards will be relaxed, expected to significantly increase sales. Suwon Pay issuance is planned to expand to a scale of 300 billion won by 2026.

The ‘Co-prosperity Strategy’ includes ‘introduction of distribution facility cap system’ and ‘designation of Haengridangil regional co-prosperity zone.’ The distribution facility cap system manages business entry by analyzing the density of large-scale retail facilities relative to population.

The regional co-prosperity zone, operated by the ‘Regional Co-prosperity Committee’ comprising merchants, landlords, and landowners, is a privately-led commercial district aimed at sustaining and expanding activated commerce by establishing co-prosperity agreements among members to stabilize rents and restrict entry of large franchise chains, preserving the character of the commercial district.

The ‘Support Strategy’ is the ‘establishment of the Suwon Commerce Activation Center.’ The Suwon Commerce Activation Center serves as a control tower to professionally and systematically manage all matters related to local commerce. It provides one-stop support for administrative procedures necessary for commerce activation and discovers customized specialized projects suited to the characteristics of each commercial district.

Mayor Lee Jae-jun stated, “We will devise and implement extraordinary measures so that all members of local commerce can prosper,” and added, “I will steadfastly carry out the promise to create a ‘Local Commerce Protection City’ where local commerce grows, prospers, and communicates together with citizens.”

The vision proclamation ceremony included the presentation of Saebit Shop designation certificates, the mayor's vision announcement, and co-prosperity agreements.

The city recently designated four locations—Hwaseong행궁 Merchants Association, Yeonmu Merchants Association, Homaesilgyeok Center Shopping Mall Merchants Association, and Youngtong Station i-Park Merchants Association—as ‘Saebit Shopping Districts.’

Suwon City, Suwon City Council, Suwon Merchants Federation, Suwon Small Business Federation, Suwon Large Retailers, Gyeonggi Southern Supermarket Cooperative, Suwon Apartment Residents Representatives Association, Consumer Education Central Association Suwon Branch, Suwon Nonghyup, Industrial Bank Dong Suwon Branch, Suwon Saemaul Geumgo, and Gyeonggi Credit Guarantee Foundation signed a co-prosperity agreement and agreed to actively cooperate in promoting ‘Local Commerce Protection City, Suwon.’

Following the vision proclamation ceremony, the opening ceremony of the 3rd Saebit Sale Festa was held in the행궁-dong craft street.