The Seoul Metropolitan Government will develop popular menus from traditional markets into convenient meal kits that can be easily enjoyed at home.

The city announced on the 5th that it is collaborating with Hyundai Green Food and Naver to promote a project that develops and releases meal kits featuring popular traditional market dishes.

Unlike the previous method where stores voluntarily applied, this year's contest method has been changed to allow citizens to directly recommend 맛집(local gourmet restaurants). Eligible restaurants for recommendation include those in traditional markets, neighborhood-type shopping streets, neighborhood commercial areas, commercial districts, and developed commercial areas within Seoul. Franchise businesses are excluded.

Participants can recommend their favorite 맛집(local gourmet restaurants) and menu by creating a short video of around 60 seconds and uploading it to Naver Clip. Participants will also receive rewards (Naver Pay points). More details can be found on the Naver Clip homepage (https://m.naver.com/shorts/challenge/).

Based on the number of views and likes of the submitted videos, Hyundai Green Food will first select around 50 top stores. Following this, the final five menus from five locations will be selected for meal kit production after considering document and on-site evaluations, the unique characteristics of the traditional market, and the business promotion will of the store owners.

The selected 맛집(local gourmet restaurants) will receive free support throughout the entire process, from product development to package design and prototype testing, through Hyundai Green Food's professional production process. The completed products will be launched in September under the brand "Everyone's 맛집(local gourmet restaurants)" and will be sold at 16 Hyundai Department Store food halls nationwide, as well as on Naver Smart Store and Greeting Mall (Hyundai Green Food's online mall). A portion of the sales revenue will be returned to the 맛집(local gourmet restaurants) owners in the form of royalties.

Song Ho-jae, Director-General of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Bureau of People's Livelihood and Labor, stated, "The characteristic of this year's traditional market meal kit project is its participatory approach, where consumers, the citizens, discover and recommend 맛집(local gourmet restaurants)." He added, "We anticipate a virtuous cycle where citizen participation increases interest in neighborhood commercial areas, leading to the revitalization of the local economy."

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