Dongguk University Students Roll Up Sleeves to Revitalize Seoae-ro Local Businesses: An Admirable Story?

Dongguk University Startup Club Campermer Conducts Various Activities to Revitalize Seoaero Commercial Area... Successful Street Popup Exhibition 'Face It to Move Forward' to Overcome COVID-19 Blues

Dongguk University startup club president Kim Deok-yong is posing in front of the Seoe-ro popup exhibition.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Students from Dongguk University, located in Jung-gu, Seoul (Mayor Seo Yang-ho), are drawing attention by actively working to revitalize the shops around their school.

The main actors are the Dongguk University startup club Campermer (President Kim Deok-yong).

The area around Seoaero, located near the back gate of Dongguk University, is a representative university shopping street in Jung-gu frequented by Dongguk University students, with various restaurants and cafes.

However, due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, foot traffic from students has decreased for over a year, worsening the damage to the Seoaero shopping district.

In response, the Dongguk University startup club Campermer is carrying out various activities to revive the Seoaero commercial area, which has been struggling due to the long-term decline in revenue.

One of the representative activities was the 'Seoaero Pop-up Exhibition,' which successfully concluded on the 15th.

This project was inspired by common feedback from local merchants that, despite being a university area, Seoaero lacked attractions. They held the pop-up exhibition titled 'Face It to Move Forward.'

They rented a vacant building that had long been left unused due to lease inquiries, held the pop-up exhibition to breathe life into the desolate street, and collaborated with alleyway shops to offer discounts to visitors who showed certification photos of the exhibition.

On the street named after Seoaero, derived from the pen name of scholar Ryu Seong-ryong, the unique pop-up exhibition featuring sculptures themed on 'Seoaero' and an experiential space infused with youthful university vibes attracted not only local residents but also many visitors to the shopping district, drawing attention to the Dongguk University area and Seoaero.

President Kim Deok-yong said, "We have exchanged many opinions with the shop owners in the Seoaero area to revive the local commercial district, and the overwhelming consensus was that although this is a university area, it feels overall too desolate. This exhibition started from that wish, and we plan to continue activities that can have a positive impact on the local community."

Last June, the Dongguk University startup club Campermer conducted a good-consumption prepayment project, achieving sales of over 7 million won from 350 transactions, helping local small business owners.

Additionally, they publicized the difficulties of the local commercial district within the Dongguk University community, eliciting over 1,000 comments and sympathies from students, and produced and distributed promotional videos for middle-aged small business owners struggling with marketing, achieving over 5,000 views.

Seo Yang-ho, Mayor of Jung-gu, said, "Amid the severe damage to self-employed people, especially small restaurant owners, due to COVID-19, I hope that the local commercial district and Dongguk University members, the largest consumers in the area, will join forces to overcome this crisis, strengthen bonds with the local commercial district, and achieve true coexistence."

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