Gwanak-gu to Produce 'Makgeolli Filled with Starlight'

[Seoul District News] Gwanak-gu Promotes Commercial Area and Boosts Consumption by Developing Local Signature Foods, Scheduled for Release in February 2023 & Simultaneous Online and Offline Sales, Partial Profits Reinvested for Sustainable Commercial Area Revitalization

Park Jun-hee, District Mayor, poses for a commemorative photo after explaining the progress of the project.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Junhee) is revitalizing the local commercial district by developing Makgeolli as a new food product that can represent the commercial area alongside the famous ‘Sundae’ around Sillim Station.

The development of Makgeolli is part of the ‘Byeolbit Sinsari Commercial District Renaissance Project.’ In 2019, the district was the first among 25 autonomous districts selected as a target area for Seoul’s ‘Commercial District Renaissance’ project, promoting various initiatives tailored to customer needs to revitalize the commercial areas around Seowon-dong shopping street near exits 3 and 4 of Sillim Station and the vicinity of Sinwon Market.

Since 2020, the district has supported the development of specialized menus and delivery menus for individual stores in the Byeolbit Sinsari commercial district. This year, they are accelerating the development of Makgeolli as a signature product representing the entire commercial district, aiming for an official launch in February next year.

In November, a tripartite business agreement was signed with the Seoul Credit Guarantee Foundation and a brewing company famous for ‘Hip Makgeolli’ and ‘Sparkling Makgeolli’ to develop the product. They will release ‘Byeolbit-Damun Makgeolli,’ inspired by the brand of Gwanak-gu’s ‘Byeolbit Sinsari’ commercial district.

The reason for promoting Makgeolli development is that it pairs well with ‘Sundae,’ the existing representative product of the Sillim-dong commercial district, and can be sold nationwide online. It is especially popular among the rapidly increasing ‘Home drinking’ and ‘Solo drinking’ groups due to COVID-19, and is favored in areas with many single-person households.

The district plans to complete product development within this year through internal tastings and officially launch the product in February next year. The developed product will be marketed nationwide as a local specialty liquor available both online and offline, gradually increasing the commercial district’s recognition. Additionally, according to the agreement, a portion of the sales revenue will be reinvested in commercial district revitalization projects.

A district official said, “‘Byeolbit-Damun Makgeolli’ is expected to create synergy with existing products and establish itself as a representative product of Gwanak-gu,” adding, “We will continue to respond with tangible results that residents can feel through various innovative product developments and efforts to revitalize the local commercial district.”

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