• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.113-131
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• 1996

The purpose of this study is to identify the existence, personal characteristics and behavior of market-participants, and function of urban weekly markets in Taegu City through observation, interview and questionnaire survey. There are four weekly periodic markets such as Seongso(Monday), Chilgok(Wednesday), Siji(Thursday), and Chilgok(Friday) which have recently developed near the new apartment areas on the outskirts of Taegu. The major findings of this study can be summarized as follows: These markets originated from the agricultural cooperative's Friday markets, but were substantially established by mobile traders or merchants for the sake of their livelihood. Therefore, the existence of these markets is not explained by Stine's central place perspective but partially explained by Hay's economic locational and Bromley's socio-cultural perspective. Most traders are male, aged 30 to 40 years and have an educational level higher than high school. Most of them are living in Taegu and itinerantly visit more than two markets among the four markets by small truck. And most of them sell agricultural products and other food materials, except some who sell manufactured goods. Most consumers are housewives, aged 20 to 30 years and have an educational level higher than high school. Most of them are living within 1,000m and go there on foot. Most of them visit the markets around 3 to 5 p.m. on every market day. And they mostly buy vegetables, fruits, and fishes. Weekly markets provide employment opportunities for those who want to be merchants, and also contribute to the increase of farmers' income, because some traders(18.8%) are farmers who periodically visit markets to sell agricultural products. On the other hand, they function as a general food materials markets to neighboring residents. From these facts, both traders and consumers want weekly markets sustained. Therefore, these markets need to be protected by institutional assistance in spite of being informal markets.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.517-536
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• 2010

While periodic marketing systems have lasted for more than hundreds of years in Korea, the weekly (periodic) markets have emerged since the latter half of the 1990s in the densely populated urban areas. In Jinju, weekly markets are opened on eight densely populated area: Ehyeon Wellga Apt.(Monday market), Gumsan Apt.(Tuesday market), Juyak Hanbo Apt.(Wednesday market), Chojeon Apt.(Thursday market), Manggyeong Hanbo Apt.(Thursday market), Pyeonggeo Dulmalhanbo Apt.(Friday market), Gajoa Jugonggreenville Apt.(Saturday market), and Gaho Apt.(Saturday). The merchants of Jinju's weekly markets can be classified into three groups as follows: the migrating specialized(full-time) merchants, who sell fruits, fish, and other daily necessities: the farmer part-time women merchants in the sixties or in the seventies, who sell the agricultural products that they themselves have grown around the rural areas; and the vendor merchants, who sell mostly dduk-bok-ki, eo-mug(odeng), and other fast food. The origin and persistence of periodic markets are explained in terms of the concepts of central place theory, the economic/comparative advantage of periodic markets, and the traditional organization of time and inertia.