Ulsan expats will run a new monthly Global Market from Sunday, building on the success of another market in the city.
The market will be an extension of the Ulsan Foreigners Market, which has been running on a monthly basis for a year and a half, but it will aim to include more Korean sellers, as well as expats.
Shoppers will be able to buy anything from homemade foreign foods and artisanal cosmetics and candles to used goods, with one vendor even putting a motorbike up for sale.
Both markets are run in conjunction with the Ulsan Parents Club. The club works as a hub of English speakers, both expats and Koreans, who come together to plan events and answer each other’s questions about Korean life.
The Global Market’s organizer, Kevin Joseph Pope, was initially from upstate New York, but moved to Ulsan in 1998. He says the new market will be a celebration of cultures from around the world.
“Because there are so many multicultural families in the Ulsan Parents Club, we felt that our market could be a meeting place for foreigners and the Korean community at large,” he said.
The success of the original foreigners’ market has led to a similar market being established in Busan.
Pope believes that running the markets well will lead to continued success for vendors.
“As long as there is good communication and people understand that the Ulsan and Busan area is big enough for a variety of markets, the popularity and stability of the markets will continue to increase,” he said.
Fourteen vendors have already signed up for the first market and Pope believes the number will grow.
The markets will be held on the first Sunday of every month and the cost of participating as a vendor is 10,000 won.
For more information, visit the Ulsan Global Markets Facebook page.
By Elliott Brennan (
ebrennan@heraldcorp.com)
