The government has stepped up to revitalize the use of traditional markets. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the National Police Agency announced that starting last month 16, the roads surrounding 78 traditional markets in 54 local governments nationwide will allow parking on weekdays within one hour.

The 78 traditional markets were selected after collecting opinions from merchants' associations and considering surrounding conditions. The permitted parking hours and permitted sections will be flexible for each market, taking into account road conditions, traffic volume, and commuting hours. In addition, to minimize traffic congestion, the parking permit time will be limited to one hour or less, and parking management personnel will be deployed to manage efficiently.

Choi Byung-kwan, head of the Local Economy Division of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, said, "Parking management personnel will use public works personnel and wear uniforms such as vests and hats to facilitate identification." "Users will be issued parking tickets when entering the parking lot and informed of the permitted parking time," he said. In addition, signboards will be installed at the starting and ending points to clearly identify the permitted areas, and information banners will be posted at the entrances of traditional markets to strengthen publicity.

Until now, traditional markets have often been inconvenient for users due to the chronic lack of parking spaces, even though prices are lower than those of large supermarkets. In response, parking has been allowed on weekends and holidays since October last year, but now that parking is allowed on weekdays, it is expected that consumers will find traditional markets more easily.

In the case of Busan, the city will allow parking on the surrounding roads of five representative traditional markets in Busan for a month, including Busanjin Market in Dong-gu, Busan, Bottom 5 Market in Saha-gu, Banyeo Farmers Market in Haeundae-gu, Yeonjeong Market in Yeonje-gu, and Seowon Market in Dongnae-gu, and plans to decide whether to expand the program after a trial run. Police stations and districts and counties will install auxiliary signs specifying parking zones and times for traditional markets designated for weekday parking in consideration of surrounding road conditions. However, double parking, parking outside the permitted area, and long-term parking will be subject to crackdowns.

"We hope that allowing parking on weekdays in traditional markets will serve as an opportunity for consumers to patronize traditional markets not only during the Lunar New Year holidays," said Meng Hyung-kyu, minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

Efforts to revitalize the use of traditional markets are also manifested in facility modernization projects. In order to strengthen the competitiveness of traditional markets and foster Seoul-style traditional markets, the Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to invest a total of 15.5 billion won ($9.3 billion in government funds, $3.3 billion in municipal funds, $2.1 billion in district funds, and $800 million in private funds) in 22 markets, including Jongno-gu's Gwangjang Alley Market, to improve parking lots, customer amenities, arcades, environmental improvement projects, commercial district revitalization projects, and old and safety facilities in 2012.

The government has already invested a total of KRW 213.3 billion in the modernization of traditional market facilities between 2002 and 2011, with a total of 190 projects in 99 markets, and is installing arcades in 47 alley-type markets with a budget of KRW 74.9 billion and providing KRW 40.5 billion to 12 markets to secure parking spaces around the markets.

 In Suyu-dong, Gangbuk-gu, where three traditional markets including Suyu, Suyu Traditional, and Suyu Alley markets are concentrated, a 100-space parking lot will be built by 2015. Daerim Market in Eunpyeong-gu moved unauthorized stores in the alley into the market so that they could grow with the market vendors.

Guro-gu Autonomous Market will have a shopping arcade to revitalize the commercial district. Gwangjin-gu's Jayang Alley Market and Yangcheon-gu's Mok 4-dong Market will have customer convenience centers with toilets, customer shelters, and playrooms, which will serve as venues for local cultural communities.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will also provide support for vendor organizations and joint marketing to enhance the self-sustainability of traditional markets. The improved shopping environment is expected to revitalize the market and increase the number of customers.

"In addition to supporting the facility modernization project in 2012, we plan to foster traditional markets that are close to citizens through 'management modernization' such as reforming the consciousness of merchants to improve the satisfaction of market visitors," said Park Sang-young, head of the Living Economy Division at the Seoul Economic Promotion Office. "The traditional market facility modernization project, which began in 2002, has been well received by merchants and visitors, and the hardware aspect of the market has been significantly improved, so it is necessary to upgrade the software aspect, such as revitalizing merchant organizations, reforming merchant consciousness, joint marketing, and friendly customer service, for the market's self-sustainability."

Efforts to revitalize traditional markets are not limited to Seoul. According to Ulsan's Dong-gu, as part of a project to modernize traditional market facilities, the city is making efforts to revitalize the market by building a parking lot for 50 cars on a 1037-square-meter area near Jeonha Market in Jeonha-dong with a budget of 2.8 billion won.

According to a recent report by the Small and Medium Business Administration, the Market Management Promotion Agency, and the Korea Chain Store Association, the number of traditional markets decreased from 1,695 in 2003 to 1,517 in 2010, a loss of 178 in seven years. On the other hand, the number of SSMs in large companies increased by 694, from 234 to a whopping 928. SSMs have already taken over the side streets, and the survival of traditional markets, which have been around for at least 20 years, is uncertain.

In response, the government has been carrying out projects such as modernizing traditional market facilities and continuing to build public parking lots to attract consumers to traditional markets from corporate supermarkets and hypermarkets, but it is urgent to come up with more specific and effective policies such as exempting visitors from parking fees.