"Looking for Busan Craft Masters" Selecting 'Innovative Masters' for a New Era

Call for Outstanding Local Artisans with Over 15 Years of Experience, Top Skilled Techniques, and Contributions to Enhancing Artisan Status

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] A call for applications is open for the 'Busan Craft Master,' who will reorganize the local craft industry to meet the demands of a new era and take charge of nurturing craft professionals.

On the 14th, Busan City announced that in response to the non-face-to-face consumption methods due to the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the shift to an on-demand platform pursuing an 'O2O' strategy, it will select outstanding artisans to newly lead Busan's craft industry.

The 2020 Busan Metropolitan City Craft Master application period runs from the 15th to 6 p.m. on the 29th, accepting applications via in-person submission or registered mail, with results to be announced in July.

The city plans to nurture talent suited to the transition of the craft industry into an on-demand platform that produces and services works tailored to individual consumer demands or orders, following the trend of changing times to an 'O2O (Online To Offline)' service connecting online and offline.

Accordingly, to strengthen the planning capabilities of artisans facing the new consumer market environment, additional scoring has been added in the industrialization effort evaluation section for brand awareness, business model development related to national government support, and private resource attraction achievements.

Furthermore, scoring for craft technology research and development projects has been added to the evaluation items for contributions to the development of the craft industry. This aims to foster the craft industry as a new growth engine and enable convergence with the high-end consumer goods market in various forms.

The city has enacted related ordinances in 2013 to promote policies for improving craft culture awareness and has been selecting craft masters, producing a total of 13 masters up to last year.

The Craft Master evaluation is conducted through external experts in six fields: wood and lacquerware, ceramics, metal, textiles, paper, and others. It involves a first round of document screening and a second round of on-site verification. Based on the second round results, final candidates undergo a third comprehensive review and resolution by the Busan City Craft Culture Industry Deliberation Committee for final selection.

Selected craft masters receive a certificate and plaque, and to support technology development and quality improvement of excellent crafts, a development incentive of 10 million KRW per person (5 million KRW annually, paid over two years) is provided. They also receive a 3-point advantage as excellent companies for priority support in Busan City policy funds.

Byun Sung-wan, Acting Mayor of Busan, stated, "This year's Craft Master evaluation focused on strengthening the competitiveness of the craft industry by adding scoring for expanding online distribution channels and pioneering export routes."

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