Seoul Peace Market (서울평화시장; ''Seoul Pyeonghwa Sijang'') was an area in Cheonggyecheon area in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

, South Korea. In 1960s and 1970s it was known as a site of numerous

sweatshops A sweatshop or sweat factory is a crowded workplace with very poor, socially unacceptable or illegal working conditions. Some illegal working conditions include poor ventilation, little to no breaks, inadequate work space, insufficient lighting, o ...

, criticized for poor working conditions. On November 13, 1970,

Jeon Tae-il Jeon Tae-il (; 28 September 1948 – 13 November 1970) was a South Korean sewing worker and Human rights defender, workers' rights activist who committed suicide by Self-immolation, self-immolation at the age of 22 in protest at the poor working ...

, a Korean worker and workers' rights activist, committed suicide by burning himself to death at that location in protest of the poor working conditions in then South Korean factories. By early 1990s most industry has relocated from that area, and it became well known as a quality marketplace, particularly for garments, attracting not just locals but even international tourists.

References

{{SouthKorea-stub History of Seoul Retail markets in Seoul