'삶의터전' 지키려는 재래시장 상인들 상여를 메다

I must admit that I visit Voice of People (Minjungûi Sori) mostly out of strange urge to find them say stupid things about democracy and human rights in the Korean peninsula, but this time their editorial policy coincided with the interests of this blog. The ultraprogressivist site reports of a marketplace traders' protest against the loss of their livelihood because of the construction of Samsung Homeplus (owned mainly by the British Tesco) in Gamman-dong, Busan. Perhaps Home Plus (or Homeplus?) has been in a legal position to begin the construction project, but the most deplorable thing has been that the company has hired goons (guess that's quite a suitable term for yongyôkôpch'e) to break up the protests of the traders, and that also seems to be the main thing the traders were now protesting against (in addition to the loss of their livelihood). Otherwise, my sympathy and the traders' protests may not help that much the marketplaces in the end when the consumers' 발길이 재래시장 대신 신식 유통업체쪽으로 간다, that is, consumers end up choosing a "modern" retail establishment instead of a "traditional" (chaerae) marketplace. Interesting that the traders have chosen to employ the form of a funeral in their protest but quite fitting as it's the "death of traditional marketplaces" as a consequence of Homeplus and the likes that they emphasize. The text yôngse sangga sinwi, "small trader's funeral tablet" in the banner. (A slightly bigger photo opens in a new window by clicking) (c)Kim Po-seong "Letting the threats to traditional marketplaces burn away" with the funeral bier. (c)Kim Po-seong Categories at del.icio.us/hunjang: businesskeepers • marketplaces