Expansion of 'Makerspace' Operation... Establishment of Over 360 Locations by 2022

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daeseop] The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on the 1st that it plans to expand 'Maker Spaces' to more than 360 locations nationwide by 2022.

This expansion of Maker Spaces is a measure to enable young people to freely express their creative ideas, following the 'Youth Life Improvement Plan' announced at the National Policy Issue Inspection and Coordination Meeting chaired by the Prime Minister on the 26th of last month.

Maker Spaces are creative and startup support spaces equipped with digital devices such as 3D printers and various hand tools necessary for realizing ideas. Since opening in 2018, 585,000 people have used Maker Spaces. They have educated 200,000 people and supported the production and practice of over 140,000 prototypes.

Starting with 65 locations in 2018, a total of 128 Maker Spaces are currently established and operating. The Ministry of SMEs and Startups plans to add a total of 64 locations nationwide this year, including 4 specialized spaces.

Maker Spaces are broadly divided into general and specialized types based on their support functions. General Maker Spaces provide maker education and creative activity experiences for students and the general public. Specialized spaces support advanced creative activities, prototype production, initial mass production, and commercialization using professional equipment.

Yoon Seok-bae, Director of Startup Ecosystem Formation at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, said, "To promote the free realization of creativity and manufacturing startups among the public, we will continuously expand Maker Spaces and support various private creative activities and maker events to spread maker culture throughout society."

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