'Carefree Changwon' Seoul City Opens 'Space Sallim'... One-Stop Support for Startups

Official Opening on the 2nd... Shared Office for Accompanied Children, Elementary Student Care Kiwoom Center, Emergency Care for Infants and Toddlers

Space Sallim

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul’s ‘Space Sallim,’ the largest support space for women entrepreneurs in Korea, officially opens on the 2nd after a one-year pilot operation. This space, reborn from ‘Camp Gray,’ a former U.S. military base in Daebang-dong used for 55 years, combines childcare and startup spaces in one location.

It houses startup support infrastructure such as offices, meeting rooms, startup stores, and product promotion centers, as well as childcare spaces including shared offices for employees with children, hub-type care centers, and infant care classrooms, all within one building, allowing entrepreneurs to focus on their startups without childcare worries.

The ‘Shared Office with Children’ provides a workspace alongside a learning area for children, enabling parents to bring their young children to work when needed. The ‘Hub-type Care Center’ offers after-school care services for elementary school children. The ‘Infant Care Classroom’ provides temporary emergency care for young children.

‘Space Sallim’ is open to any company with innovative women-led startups or business items that contribute to improving the lives of women and families. The facility spans a total floor area of 17,957㎡ across two basement levels and seven above-ground floors. It is directly connected to Exit 3 of Daebang Station on Subway Line 1, ensuring high accessibility.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government stated that this combined childcare and startup space was created so that anyone, including women who find it difficult to start a business due to the practical issue of childcare, can focus on their work without worry. The goal is to support work-life balance, enhance women’s economic power, and create a gender-equal childcare environment.

During the one-year pilot operation, a total of 202 innovative women startups and companies (including tenants) have passed through Space Sallim. As of September, 124 companies are currently housed (including tenants). Despite the COVID-19 situation, resident companies achieved KRW 30.7 billion in investment attraction and KRW 16.7 billion in sales, producing tangible results. They also created jobs by employing 452 people.

Additionally, through various online and offline programs provided by resident companies, approximately 60,000 citizens have visited Space Sallim. About 4,500 citizens have used the space directly, and the website has attracted around 55,000 visitors.

Meanwhile, the Seoul Foundation of Women & Family will hold the ‘Space Sallim Opening Ceremony’ at the Space Sallim multipurpose hall on the same day. The event will be live-streamed on the Space Sallim YouTube channel for public viewing.

Jung Yeon-jeong, CEO of the Seoul Foundation of Women & Family, said, “After a one-year pilot operation, ‘Space Sallim’ has confirmed various possibilities and will now bring significant changes to the work and lives of Seoul citizens. We will do our best to activate the women’s startup ecosystem, create new models of work and life, set new standards for women’s entrepreneurship, and lead a new wave of change in work and life.”

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