"In summer, peaches would wilt within a day. When it rained, water would leak from the ceiling, causing gray water to drip onto the fruit boxes."
On the afternoon of the fifth day, I visited the fruit and vegetable section of the Anyang Wholesale Agricultural Products Market in Gyeonggi Province. Upon entering, I found around 20 vehicles parked. The roof had been completely demolished, and only the central structure that once served as a dragon-shaped roof remained standing. In front of the entrance to the stairs leading up to this area, dozens of pallets were stacked. In front of the pallets, a large clock stood still, showing the time as 12:01.
At around noon on November 28 of last year, an unusual autumn snowstorm caused the ceiling of the southern part of the fruit and vegetable section of this market to collapse. Covering a total floor area of 32,794 square meters (9,920 pyeong), this market, which included a basement, first to third floors, was the heart of the Anyang Wholesale Market, housing vegetable and fruit auction houses and middlemen shops. However, a year later, it is now being used as a temporary parking lot.
The agricultural product auctions are currently being held in an auction house temporarily set up in the basement parking lot. Upon entering the basement parking lot, I found middlemen shops lined up at intervals of three to four parking spaces. Each shop was filled with seasonal fruit boxes and pallets, including apples and pears. When I reached the end of the parking lot, the cold air was blowing in through the lamps.
A fruit middleman, Mr. A, whom I met there, said, "In summer, the temperature here would soar up to 35°C, causing fruits like peaches to wilt within a day." He added, "Since we couldn't install air conditioning, we had no choice but to blow fans towards the fruit boxes."
In one shop, large and small fans wrapped in plastic bags were placed. He also mentioned, "When it rained, water would drip from the ceiling, soaking the fruit boxes." Indeed, some cars in the basement parking lot had gray water stains the size of a palm on their bonnets.
Even though Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon visited the market this March, the restoration work has been sluggish. According to the Anyang Agricultural Products Wholesale Market Management Office, the demolition of the roof was only completed at the beginning of October this year.
A distributor, Mr. B, said, "It has been almost a year since the fruit and vegetable section collapsed, but so far, only the demolition of the roof of the fruit and vegetable section and the cleanup of internal debris have been completed."