A night bazaar allowing only foreign tourists to shop will open in Yang-dong Market this year.
According to the city, it is consulting with the market’s merchant association to have clothing and food shops in the market open during the night for foreign tourists who want to shop.
The city expects the market to receive a fervent response from Chinese tourists who have strong buying power.
In the long-term, the city is considering designating certain part of Yang-dong Market as a foreigner only shopping center.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Night market for foreigners planned in Gwangju.
From GFN 98.7 FM, translating a Korean-language Chosun Ilbo article:
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8 comments:
Why foreigners only? They can't take notes from Dongdaemun's already-successful night market? Thousands of foreigners, tourists AND Koreans in Doota and other various shopping centers throughout the night.
And how would they stop Koreans from going? If they are trying to attract Chinese money, are they going to check everyone with an Asian face to make sure he's Chinese (or Japanese) and not Korean?
Sounds like they went to press without taking it out of the planning stage.
Furthermore, the appeal of Yangdong market is that it's a Korean experience . . . kicking out the Koreans will just mean fewer people and higher prices.
One can only assume that the foreigner-only markets are seen as a way of making amends for the no-foreigner-allowed saunas.
I would never shop at a foreigners only market as I would assume prices have been jacked up.
Foreigners not allowed in the saunas, eh?
Sounds a lot like Debito's experiences in Japan. Of course, in Japan it is not illegal** to discriminate in such a manner.
How do the Koreans get away with it, when here it IS illegal to do so?
**of course, it is unconstitutional, but that requires a lawsuit for redress. No laws are broken, though, so no one will go to jail and the police will do nothing.
1. I'm with sean. I'd avoid the foreigners market because of the "foreigner tax"
2. Given that it'll likely be advertised by a posting on Gwangju's city hall website, in Korean, and with Korean handouts in the Korean language newspapers, we'll see how many of the vaunted Chinese shoppers show up.
3. Chinese often come here to buy cosmetics and brand-name goods. What will be the main products on display? For the most part, those items usually aren't on a western shopper (this blog's readership)'s to-do list.
that's a weird concept...and if it is "foreigners only", then it's not really experiencing Korean market...korean markets need to be full of koreans! sigh..
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