Local Food Stores as a Platform Strategy: A Case of Wanju Local Food Station in South Korea

Abstract

This paper considers local food stores as a platform that connects producers, sellers, and consumers. Direct local food stores not only intermediate trade between producers and sellers to lower distribution prices but also seek to change the relationship between agriculture and food. This concept assumes that this relationship cannot be explained by the concept of economy alone. Therefore, this platform is not only a spatial medium, but also a window where people share memories, experiences, stories, and values based on trust. For this study, we selected Wanju-gun, South Korea as the subject location. Wanju-gun has been playing a leading role in the local food industry to aid farmers. Direct local food stores in Wanju are supporting local villages and communities by selling produce not at markets but in public areas.