'No business today': Heat wave takes toll on vendors at Korea's traditional markets

Blistering heat is taking a toll on traditional markets across Korea, leaving merchants grappling with dwindling foot traffic and spoiled produce.

Gwangjang Market in Jongno District, central Seoul, on July 9 [NOH YU-RIM]

Blistering heat is taking a toll on traditional markets across Korea, leaving merchants grappling with dwindling foot traffic and spoiled produce.

“It’s too hot — who would come out shopping? There was no business today,” a vendor surnamed Park and in their 50s said, fanning themselves behind a stand of rapidly softening peaches, on July 8.

Park said they have been running the fruit stall for over a decade.

The same day, temperatures in Seoul soared to a record 37.8 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit), the highest in 118 years. By the evening, the narrow lanes of Yeongcheon Market in Seodaemun District, central Seoul, still felt like a sauna.

Kim, a vegetable vendor in their 60s, said customers had largely stayed away all day, likely due to the extreme heat.

“Even the vegetables I put out front seem to wilt faster in this weather,” Kim lamented.

Vendors selling fresh produce, seafood and other temperature-sensitive goods are being hit the hardest, as extreme heat makes it nearly impossible to keep items fresh — or to attract buyers. Even when efforts are made to preserve quality, sales remain sluggish, fueling frustration among stall owners.

Cooling measures introduced by local governments have done little to alleviate the crisis. According to data from the Seoul Metropolitan Government, as of Monday, only 13 of the city's 418 traditional markets — just 3.1 percent — have been equipped with cooling fog systems designed to lower the ambient temperature. Excluding indoor and underground markets that are less exposed to direct sunlight, the installation rate was only 4.1 percent, or 11 of the 269 traditional markets.

“Following installations at nine markets last year, we added cooling fog facilities to four more this year, with costs ranging from 100 million to 400 million won [$72,200 to $289,100] per market,” a city official said. “We’re gathering feedback to develop more effective heat countermeasures.”

Gwangjang Market in Jongno District, central Seoul, on July 9 [NOH YU-RIM]

Even Gwangjang Market, the largest traditional market in central Seoul, lacks any formal cooling infrastructure. During a visit to the market on July 9, the food alley specializing in panfried dishes was particularly stifling. Ten minutes in, beads of sweat were already forming on visitors’ foreheads.

“The heat from all the frying makes it hard to breathe,” said Kim Ri-geon, a 28-year-old visitor.

According to a recent survey by the Small Enterprise and Market Service, the business survey index (BSI) for small merchants in July stood at 76.2, down 2.9 points from the previous month. A BSI below 100 indicates worsening conditions. Some 37.6 percent of respondents attributed the downturn to seasonal factors such as extreme heat and heavy rains.

The government plans to begin distributing livelihood revival vouchers to the public starting July 21. But merchants worry the program will benefit air-conditioned stores while leaving open-air markets behind.

“Expecting people to use the vouchers in environments where there’s a risk of heat-related illness isn’t realistic,” said Jeong Se-eun, an economics professor at Chungnam National University. “More robust support is needed to improve the conditions in which traditional markets operate.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff. BY NOH YU-RIM [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]