Eight Public Industrial Hubs to Be Established in Sewoon District... "700 Public Rental Units to Be Supplied"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yuri Kim] The Sewoon Shopping Center area aims to revitalize by preserving the existing industrial ecosystem while fostering new industries. Eight public industrial hubs will be newly established to preserve and revitalize Sewoon's industry, and more than 700 public rental shops will be supplied.

Seoul City announced the "Sewoon Shopping Center Area Urban Industry Preservation and Revitalization Measures" on the 4th. To regenerate the industry, the city will newly create eight public industrial hubs and support programs such as one-stop prototype development services and Meister Schools for technology transfer. In the deregulated area within Sewoon 5 District, a pilot project called "Industrial Alley Regeneration" will be promoted, simultaneously improving the aging environment and expanding living SOC. The designation of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' "Urban Small-Scale Manufacturing Cluster" will also be pursued by selecting appropriate target sites to receive various special supports such as financial aid.

The eight public industrial hubs will be developed jointly by Seoul City, Jung-gu District, Seoul Housing and Communities Corporation (SH), and Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH), utilizing public land and donated land to create hub facilities suitable for the characteristics of each area. Public rental shops for existing tenants, youth startup support facilities, living SOC such as restrooms and shower rooms, and shared workshops will be established. The public rental shops will offer rents lower than market prices to resolve the gentrification (tenant displacement) issue.

Industrial regeneration programs will also be introduced. Various collaborative projects will be attempted to inject new vitality through cooperation between existing industries, advanced technologies such as IoT and 3D printers, and young designers. To support the work activities of small business owners, youth newly settling in the Euljiro area, and cultural and artistic workers, shared workspaces and equipment rentals utilizing vacant spaces will be promoted. To innovate existing industries, prototype development support services will be established, and Meister Schools for technology transfer will be newly created. Educational programs will also be introduced so that existing small business owners can learn new fields such as management and new technologies.

In the deregulated area within Sewoon 5 District, the Industrial Alley Regeneration pilot project will be promoted. SH Corporation will purchase small lots such as vacant houses to carry out the project. Street environments will be improved through road paving and expansion of fire-fighting facilities, and aging hazardous facilities will be demolished. Living SOC such as restrooms and shower rooms will also be expanded. Vacant shops will be converted into shared workshops to serve as hub spaces within the alleys.

The designation of Urban Small-Scale Manufacturing Clusters will also be pursued. These clusters are areas where the number of urban small-scale manufacturers in the same industry exceeds the administrative district standard (more than 50 per neighborhood) and are designated by the Minister of SMEs and Startups upon request from city or provincial governors. Once designated, special funds for technology development and market expansion can be borrowed, and infrastructure such as joint exhibition halls, sales venues, workshops, and logistics warehouses will be supported. On-site Small Business Specialized Support Centers will be established to provide services such as management and technical education, new technology consulting, joint projects, and market development.

Mayor Park Won-soon said, "With this comprehensive plan, we expect to induce redevelopment projects with strengthened public interest and gain the execution power to preserve the urban industrial ecosystem that was at risk of collapse. We will promote regeneration projects to protect existing industrial ecosystems such as small business owners while creating new high value-added content combined with the region through the influx of youth and new industries."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.