A nail art designer is painting on the customer's nail in the Cheongju Free Market.
 
The Cheongju Culture & Arts Free Market opened around the Jungang-dong youth square on March 31st. Creations and creative performances by the local artists from every field will be shown or sold at 1pm every Saturday from March to November. This market is composed of 3 parts for citizens and artists who love the culture & arts of Cheongju. One is the market for works of art, and another is the performance market with a magic show, dancing and singing. The last one is an experience market where citizens can try making crafts and experiencing them.
Anyone who is into culture & arts can join this market by applying in the Daum cafe or the Naver blog online communities. Paticipation is encouraged without limitation regardless of applicants’ fields. This market pursues to develop the local community as a place for citizens’ communication and the purchasing of artists’ creations. Moreover, it plans to raise healthy cultural commercial transactions through the transactions of works of art by offering a motive for creation.
The free market’s economic effects are that it provides an opportunity of opening their own businesses. On the cultural side, an increase of understanding about culture & arts and an extension of cultural opportunities for Cheongju citizens are expected. In addition, as Cheongju International Craft Biennale contributed a good brand image for Cheongju as a cultural city, this free market will help that image. Also, Cheongju citizens’ cultural consciousness will be boosted.
Hwang Da-hae(Cheongju Culture & Arts Creative Association, 48), who is in charge of the Cheongju Free Market as a crafts designer, pointed out that the hardest part of operating a free market is to elicit citizens and artists. She said, “I know there are many people who are interested in this free market, but they don’t easily step forward.” She continued, “However, I hopefully expect more people will join us because 1 or 2 new artists come to us every week.”
Cheongju Culture & Arts Creative Association hosts the Cheongju Culture & Arts Free Market. The Korea Urban Renaissance Center of the Ministry of Land, Transportation and Maritime Affairs, the Jungang-dong Area Specialization and Commercial Area Vitalization Committee and the Jungang-dong Shopping District Cooperative support it. The vitalization and revival of the economy of Cheongju are expected. The Cheongju Free Market, which has been operating as a pilot project since 2011, is pushing ahead in earnest with an aim to attract 200 artists and 3,000 visitors per week in 2012.