— Overview
The notes read a Gwangju market’s renewal as putting local culture back at the centre, not only modernising the fabric, with a founding year kept in the name.
— Contents and key concepts
A daily market from 1913, and a clock on the wall
From 1913, the notes write, a daily Songjeong station-front market stood on this site, and it was known as a local traditional market with, as they then counted it, 103 years of history. Large retailers had arrived, traditional markets were in crisis, and Songjeong Station Market too was losing its footing and declining. A traditional-market creative-economy project, taken up at the level of the local community, brought Hyundai Motor Group and the Gwangju Creative Economy Innovation Center into a plan to raise the existing market into a cultural-tourism market. The founding year was put into the name — 1913 Songjeong Station Market — so that a long history would be announced and merchants themselves would feel pride in a tradition, and a large clock standing for that name was set on the wall at the entrance, to take its place as a sculpture representing the area. That count of years stays as the notes then made it.
Fifty-five shops, and a look from the 1970s and 1980s
Culture, design and information and communications technology were grafted onto a stagnant traditional market, they write, while a creative-economy platform for ordinary life was built, aimed at creating youth jobs and at reviving the local commercial district. The emphasis was on making a space where the culture and memory of the years when the market was most alive — the 1970s and 1980s — could be felt, and fifty-five shops inside the market were remodelled. Past the sculpture, shops in an old style stand as if one had travelled in time, and a rest area for visitors was laid out inside so that tourists could use the market conveniently. Rather than simply modernising the facilities, they repeat, the work set its focus on bringing back a culture peculiar to the place.
A five-year rent pact, and trains at the station
Recently, they write, under the lead of Gwangsan-gu, landlords agreed not to raise monthly rent by more than 9 percent for five years, and merchants also promised to keep a pleasant environment: a pact against gentrification was signed. Plans being pursued to promote Songjeong Station Market include marketing linked to the Rail Plus card and to Naeilro, and the development and running of traditional-market goods tied to train service. Those terms stay as the notes record them. The same Korean report, at fuller length, is on CampusDown.
Sources
- The notes, a student report on 1913 Songjeong Station Market, with a founding year kept in the name, fifty-five remodelled shops, and a Gwangsan-gu rent pact left as the notes record them.
Last updated: 15 November 2026
Frequently asked questions
How do the notes date the market, and why was the name changed?
From 1913, they write, a daily Songjeong station-front market stood here, and it was known as a local traditional market with, as they then counted it, 103 years of history. Large retailers had squeezed its place, and it was declining. A traditional-market creative-economy project, taken up at the level of the local community, brought Hyundai Motor Group and the Gwangju Creative Economy Innovation Center into a plan to raise the existing market into a cultural-tourism market. The founding year was put into the name — 1913 Songjeong Station Market — so that a long history would be announced and merchants themselves would feel pride in a tradition, and a large clock, standing for that name, was set on the wall at the entrance as a sculpture meant to represent the area. That count of years stays as the notes then made it.
What was remodelled, and toward which years?
Culture, design and information and communications technology were grafted onto a stagnant traditional market, and a creative-economy platform for ordinary life was built, aimed at youth jobs and at reviving the local commercial district. The focus, they write, was on making a place where the culture and memory of the 1970s and 1980s — when the market was most alive — could be felt, and fifty-five shops inside the market were remodelled. Past the sculpture, shops in an old style stand as if one had travelled in time, and a rest area for visitors was laid out so that tourists could use the market conveniently. Rather than simply modernising the facilities, they stress, the work set its focus on bringing back a culture peculiar to the place.
What pact do they record in Gwangsan-gu, and what marketing plans do they mention?
Recently, they write, under the lead of Gwangsan-gu, landlords agreed not to raise monthly rent by more than 9 percent for five years, and merchants promised to keep a pleasant environment — a pact against gentrification. Plans being pursued to promote the market include marketing linked to the Rail Plus card and to Naeilro, and the development of traditional-market goods tied to train service. Those terms stay as the notes record them.
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