As the Number of Foreign Tourists Increases... How Can Markets Receive Support for Multilingual Information Devices?

SME Ombudsman Holds Meeting on Alley Commercial Districts at Hwaseong Haenggung in Suwon

There was a suggestion to provide multilingual guidance devices to help foreign tourists use traditional markets and alleyway shopping districts more conveniently.

The Ombudsman for Small and Medium Enterprises announced on October 2, 2026, that it held a ‘Communication Meeting for Revitalizing Alleyway Economy in Gyeonggi Province’ at the Hwaseong Haenggung Merchant Association conference room in Paldal-gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi Province.

The meeting was attended by Choi Seungjae, Ombudsman for Small and Medium Enterprises; Byeon Kimyeon, Head of the Southern Gyeonggi Regional Headquarters at the Small Enterprise and Market Service; Professor Kang Minjeong of Kyung Hee University; officials from the Suwon City Department of Local Economy; and representatives of local merchant associations. The participants discussed the regulations and management difficulties faced by traditional markets and alleyway shopping districts.

Choi Seungjae, Ombudsman for Small and Medium Enterprises, is holding a meeting at the Hwaseong Haenggung Merchants Association conference room. Ombudsman for Small and Medium Enterprises

The Nammun Rodeo Market Merchant Association requested support for the installation of multilingual guidance devices in traditional markets and alleyway shopping districts that attract many foreign tourists. The suggestion is to support the installation and operation of multilingual guidance kiosks and digital information boards that can be used in both traditional markets and alleyway shopping districts, in order to boost market activity by increasing the visits and spending of foreign tourists.

The Ombudsman Support Team explained that individual stores can receive support for introducing smart devices such as kiosks through the Small Enterprise and Market Service’s ‘Smart Store Technology Dissemination Project’. This project provides support of between 5 million and 7 million won when purchasing devices, based on certain conditions, with the central government subsidizing 50 to 80 percent of the cost. If stores opt to rent devices instead, rental fees are subsidized for up to two years, with an annual cap of 3.5 million won.

The Hwaseong Haenggung Alleyway Shopping Street also requested that a section of the shopping street be operated as a ‘car-free street’ as a pilot program to enable regular flea markets. In response, the Ombudsman Support Team conveyed Suwon City’s position that promoting a ‘car-free street’ to host flea markets is difficult. Other than the relevant road, there are no alternative access routes for local residents to enter their homes, so operating a trial ‘car-free street’ by blocking traffic cannot be accepted.

In addition, the participants suggested easing the requirements for designating alleyway shopping districts in Pocheon City, providing severance pay for managers of traditional markets and alleyway shopping districts, and raising various other regulatory and practical site-level challenges. Ombudsman Choi Seungjae commented, “After personally walking through the alleyways, I understood why merchants feel a need for guidance devices,” adding, “I will continue coordinating with relevant agencies so that tourists can not only visit the Haenggung Palace but also stay and spend time in various corners of the alleys.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.