hankyoreh

By Kwon O-sung, staff reporter

A handful of Costco stores took the day off after all on Sunday, Nov. 11.

They were among an increased number of super supermarkets (SSMs) opting to comply with ordinances requiring them to close on the second and fourth Sundays of each month. This comes after courts dismissed injunction requests by SSMs in Seoul, Gwangju, Jeonju, Daegu, and elsewhere to have the ordinances suspended.

Costco, which has drawn heavy flak in the past few months for flouting the ordinances, announced on Nov. 11 that it was submitting to the compulsory holiday by closing its main branch in Seoul’s Yangpyeong neighborhood. On Sunday, the store in question put a banner up reading, “Costco Wholesale is closed for business on the second and fourth Sundays of the month according to government policy.”

Yeongdeungpo District Office in Seoul previously announced on Nov. 6 that it was resuming an amended version of the ordinance, which had been suspended after superstores filed suit to have it blocked. Three districts in Seoul complied with the measure this week: Gangseo, Seodaemun, and Yeongdeungpo, where the Yangpyeong Costco is located.

Indeed, there was a rebound across the country in the number of stores complying. This comes after courts in Gwangju, Jeonju, and Daegu dismissed requests from superstores and supermarkets to have the restrictions lifted. Fifty-five of the country’s 375 superstores, or about 14.6%, closed this past Sunday. This is up from a low in the single digits (4.3%), recorded in August as injunction requests poured in around the country.

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]