‘Haenyeo-Inspired Sportswear and Myeongran Gelato’... 250 Local Creator Teams Selected

Supporting Regional Value Entrepreneurs Based on Local Natural and Cultural Characteristics

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on the 6th that it has selected 250 "Local Value Entrepreneurs" (Local Creators). The photo shows an image of the augmented reality (AR) fairy tale book of the Danyang oral folklore. Photo by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] The government is selecting and supporting 'Local Value Entrepreneurs' (Local Creators) who start businesses based on the natural and cultural characteristics of their regions to revitalize local economies.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on the 6th that it has selected 250 'Local Value Entrepreneurs' (Local Creators).

Local Value Entrepreneurs refer to startups that create business value by combining innovative technologies or ideas with the natural and cultural characteristics of their regions.

Previously, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups established the 'Regional-based Local Creator Activation Support Project' last year to expand startup opportunities for local youth and revitalize regional economies, discovering and nurturing Local Value Entrepreneurs. This year, 2,523 teams applied for the selection of 250 teams, recording a competition rate of 10.1 to 1.

The selection results showed a high proportion of local food businesses (24.5%) utilizing regional specialties and region-based manufacturing companies (21.6%). This was followed by local value (18.4%), hub brands (12.0%), region-specific tourism (11.2%), eco-friendly activities (6.8%), and digital cultural experiences (5.2%).

In particular, in the local food sector, 62 projects were selected, including 'Seorak Nitro' using Gangwon myeongran gelato, 'Ansaujeongguk,' an experiential farm restaurant in Uiseong, and 'Noongeum,' a meal kit to improve picky eating using Jeju agricultural byproducts.

In region-based manufacturing, 54 projects were adopted, including 'Haenyeo Clothing Lab,' a water sportswear research project with Jeju haenyeo, and 'Inpotery Co., Ltd.,' ceramics inspired by Seongju chamoe melons.

Additionally, in the local value sector, 46 projects were selected, including 'City & Local Cooperative,' a modern historical culture drawing book of Jinhae, and 'Vanilla C,' a web drama based on independent publications in Gwangju. In the hub brand sector, 30 projects were selected, including 'Doing Ji,' which creates a local community using the abandoned water purification plant in Jochiwon.

In the digital cultural experience sector, 13 projects were chosen, including a 100-year-old modern history tour of Suwon via the metaverse and an augmented reality (AR) fairy tale book of oral legends from Danyang.

Selected Local Value Entrepreneurs will receive up to 30 million KRW in funding to be used for concretizing business models and marketing. The support funds can be used for business model (BM) concretization, mentoring, marketing, branding, and more.

Minister Kwon Chilseung of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups said, "Local Value Entrepreneurs are new growth engines for regions," and added, "We will revitalize the regional-based innovative startup ecosystem."

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