Yongmarugil 'Kkumteul'... Itaewon 'Hwulhwul'

Yongsan-gu Accelerates Local Brand Commercial Area Development and Strengthening Project... Full-Scale Promotion of Local Brand Commercial Area Development and Strengthening Project... Yongmarugil, Itaewon Commercial Area... Entering Phase 2 This Year... Securing Capabilities through Agreements with Specialized Institutions and Companies... Comprehensive Support for Small Business Owners through Facility Improvement, Content Development, and Local Resource Linkage

Yongsan-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Park Hee-young) will accelerate the development of the ‘Local Brand’ Yongmaru-gil commercial district and strengthen the Itaewon commercial district over the next two years starting this year.

The Local Brand project supports small business development and the discovery of new content to revitalize commercial districts and enhance sustainability by leveraging regional characteristics. The project will be carried out annually until 2025.

There are two local brand areas within the district: Yongmaru-gil near Yongmun Market (121 stores along Saechang-ro 14-gil) and Itaewon (344 stores in the World Food Culture Street area). Yongmaru-gil is promoted with the aim of commercial district development, while Itaewon focuses on commercial district strengthening. Both local brands completed the first phase of commercial district infrastructure development last year and are preparing to enter the second phase of commercial district branding this year.

To ensure successful project implementation, the Yongmaru-gil commercial district development project is being managed by the Seoul Credit Guarantee Foundation, which has extensive experience supporting small businesses. The Itaewon commercial district strengthening project is jointly carried out by two private companies (Maeul Hotel and Yangji) selected through a public recruitment on the 18th. The district will sign agreements with these organizations and companies in January and continue the project from February until the end of next year.

Yongmaru-gil Commercial District Stretching Its Wings

Up to 3 billion KRW will be invested in the development of the Yongmaru-gil commercial district during the project period. Over the next two years, efforts will focus on creating a Yongmaru-gil that is ▲a place where people want to stay longer, ▲full of diverse enjoyment, and ▲growing together.

To become a commercial district where people want to stay longer, efforts will be made to improve the environment through ▲street maintenance, ▲installation of nighttime landscape lighting, and ▲installation of symbolic structures.

To provide visitors to Yongmaru-gil with diverse experiences, plans include ▲discovering nighttime cultural events, ▲operating the community space ‘Sosohan Ajit,’ and ▲holding events linked to local resources to invigorate the commercial district.

A local governance system composed of merchants, landlords, and residents will be established, and a commercial district monitoring team will be operated to create an environment where both the community and merchants can grow.

Itaewon Commercial District Taking Off with Strong Local Identity

The Itaewon commercial district strengthening project in the World Food Culture Street area will mobilize up to 1.5 billion KRW over three years. During the remaining period, the goal is to secure a passionate fan base through rebranding the Itaewon brand and establish a foundation for continuous commercial district growth.

A commercial district brand will be developed utilizing Itaewon’s existing values, promoting ▲local content discovery, ▲local event hosting, and ▲brand identity creation, along with conducting online and offline marketing aligned with current trends.

Through communities built around shared interests, the goal is for members to lead the local commercial district and create a commercial district ecosystem even after the local brand strengthening project ends in 2025.

Park Hee-young, Mayor of Yongsan-gu, stated, “Small business owners in alleyway commercial districts are enduring difficult times due to the economic downturn and the spread of online shopping,” and added, “We will do our best to revitalize local commercial districts by actively supporting alleyway commercial district content and small business infrastructure innovation.”

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