Construction of Mapo-gu Small Business Complex Support Center... Accelerating Innovation in 'Publishing, Printing, and Design'

Ministry of SMEs and Startups Oversees Final Selection of Operators for 'Small Business Complex Support Center Project'... Support for Collaboration Across Planning, Production, and Distribution in Publishing, Printing, and Design Fields, Joint Brand Development... Secured 2.5 Billion KRW National Funding, Total Investment of 19.2 Billion KRW... Construction Planned for Completion by End of Next Year, Basement 4 to 5 Floors Above Ground

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Mapo-gu (Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun) is set to build a Small Business Complex Support Center aimed at supporting small business owners in the local publishing, printing, and design sectors, with completion targeted for the end of next year.

On the 8th, the district was selected as the final project operator in the ‘2020 Small Business Complex Support Center Construction and Operation Project’ announced by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.

The Small Business Complex Support Center is a nationwide competitive project designed to provide comprehensive support for small business owners by establishing smart equipment, product development, exhibition and sales, and online marketing.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups and Mapo-gu plan to offer one-stop support for small business owners’ product planning, joint production, market development, and business model discovery through the complex support center.

This year, Mapo-gu was the only district in Seoul selected as a project operator, alongside Yeongju City in Gyeongbuk Province and Hwaseong City in Gyeonggi Province. These three local governments will each receive 2.5 billion KRW in national funding.

Mapo-gu aims to establish the Small Business Complex Support Center in the city center, where design, publishing, and printing industries are concentrated, to handle the entire process from ‘planning-production-distribution’ in one place.

The Mapo area is recognized as a leading domestic hub for design and publishing, rich in the latest trends and content. The installation of a complex support center for small business owners is expected to yield excellent business effects in terms of high added value creation and industrial connectivity.

The planned site for the Small Business Complex Support Center is the former Mapo-gu Office’s 3rd annex building area (Seongsan-dong 275-55 and four other parcels), which is evaluated to have convenient transportation and accessibility. It is located 1.5 km from the designated design and publishing development promotion district near Hongik University, expected to effectively disperse and link the advantages of the cluster.

The building will have four basement floors and five above-ground floors, with a total floor area of 7,443.88㎡, aiming for completion by the end of next year. The total project cost is 19.2 billion KRW. Excluding the cost of district-owned land, Mapo-gu has secured 13.6 billion KRW entirely from external funds, including 2.5 billion KRW in national funds, 2.7 billion KRW in city funds, and 8.4 billion KRW in private investment.

According to the district’s plan, the Mapo-gu Small Business Complex Support Center will house approximately 50 publishing, printing, and design companies, along with small business support offices and training rooms.

Additionally, high-cost shared equipment rooms, experience workshops, and exhibition sales spaces will be established to reduce production costs.

The district intends to support the formation of cooperatives among small business owners related to ‘planning-production-distribution’ and assist in joint brand development through a collaborative system between processes.

Affordable rental spaces compared to market prices will alleviate the economic burden on small business owners, and smart manufacturing facilities based on advanced technology are expected to contribute to cost reduction and productivity improvement.

The district has set a goal to create approximately 873 related jobs through the establishment of this collaborative ecosystem in publishing, printing, and design. It also expects to generate about 83.1 billion KRW in production and added value during the facility construction and operation phases.

With project funding secured, the district plans to promptly begin basic and detailed design services to start construction. An expert advisory committee will also be launched to prepare future facility operation plans.

Yoo Dong-gyun, Mayor of Mapo-gu, stated, “The Small Business Complex Support Center will play a significant role in the development of Mapo’s specialized industries, productivity improvement, and securing competitiveness. We will do our best to create an ecosystem where abundant content and people gather and collaborate.”

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