Korea convenience store boom causes concern

Around 15 convenience stores were opened in South Korea every day on average last year.

And the Korea convenience store boom is worrying a ruling lawmaker, who has urged the nation’s fair trade watchdog to seek measures to avoid excessive competition in the market.

According to the data compiled by Rep. Yoo Ui-dong of the Saenuri Party, 5508 convenience stores were newly established in 2015 alone, casting concerns over a potential oversupply of such shops in the domestic market.

Yoo said while the numbers may seem to reflect the boom in the industry, such a sharp gain may have an adverse impact on the livelihoods of the shop owners.

“Currently, we do not have a law that can regulate the opening of a new convenience store right next to another,” Yoo said.

“The Fair Trade Commission needs to come up with measures to limit the number of new shops.”