'Gwangju, Yeoju, Hwaseong' Small Business Cluster Areas to Be Revitalized... 5.9 Billion Won in National Funding Secured

[Asia Economy (Uijeongbu) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Three small-scale industrial clusters in Gwangju, Yeoju, and Hwaseong within Gyeonggi Province have been selected for the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' 'Small-scale Industrial Cluster Revitalization Public Contest' this year, securing 5.9 billion KRW in national funding.

The Small-scale Industrial Cluster Revitalization Public Contest is a project aimed at strengthening the competitiveness of small-scale industrial clusters, where skilled technicians gather in specific areas, by designating small-scale industrial cluster zones and establishing complex support centers for small-scale industries.

Once designated as a small-scale industrial cluster zone, joint infrastructure to organize and promote collaboration among small-scale industries and enhance competitiveness can be established. This year, two areas were selected: Gwangju’s Chowol-eup, Opo-eup, and Gwangnam-dong (furniture manufacturing), and Yeoju’s Ohak-dong, Buknae-myeon, and Daeshin-myeon (ceramics manufacturing).

Accordingly, a total of 2.6 billion KRW will be invested in Gwangju’s Chowol-eup, Opo-eup, and Gwangnam-dong, including 1.4 billion KRW in national funds, 300 million KRW in provincial funds, and 900 million KRW in city funds, to build facilities such as a shared equipment room, PC training center, upcycling experience space, and meeting rooms.

In Yeoju’s Ohak-dong, Buknae-myeon, and Daeshin-myeon, a total of 3.6 billion KRW will be invested, including 2 billion KRW in national funds, 300 million KRW in provincial funds, and 1.3 billion KRW in city funds, to establish facilities such as a shared sales center, meeting rooms, distribution management office, shared production space, startup incubator, and new product development room.

Additionally, the establishment of a Small-scale Industry Complex Support Center involves building a complex support center within the cluster to provide integrated support for smart manufacturing equipment, product development, exhibition and sales, and online marketing. Hwaseong’s Bongdam-eup (metal processing) was selected as the target project site this year.

At this location, a total of 8 billion KRW will be invested, including 2.5 billion KRW in national funds, 800 million KRW in provincial funds, and 4.7 billion KRW in city funds, to construct a complex support center with a total floor area of 1,487㎡ equipped with 3D measuring devices, 3D printers, processing machines, a business lounge, experience spaces, and design and measurement rooms.

Kim Gyu-sik, Director of Economic Planning at the province, stated, "Small-scale industries are an important foundation for creating jobs for ordinary citizens and for regional industrial and economic growth. Since Gyeonggi Province houses 30% of the nation’s small-scale industries, we will continue to provide more active and systematic support to strengthen their competitiveness."

Currently, within the province, including the newly designated areas of Gwangju and Yeoju, a total of 10 locations have been designated as 'Small-scale Industrial Cluster Zones': Siheung’s Daeya and Sincheon (mechanical metals), Yongin’s Yeongdeok (electronic components), Yangju’s Nam-myeon (textile products), Gunpo’s Gunpo 1-dong (metal processing), Pocheon’s Gasan-myeon (furniture manufacturing), Seongnam’s Sangdaewon-dong (food manufacturing), Anyang’s Gwanyang-dong (electronic components), and Hwaseong’s Hyangnam-eup, Paltan-myeon, and Jeongnam-myeon (mechanical equipment).

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