Local Merchants and Experts Collaborate to Boost 'Neighborhood Commercial District' Development

Ministry of SMEs and Startups Selects 13 New Locations for 'Dongnae Sangkwon Development Centers'

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on the 11th that it has newly selected 13 sites for the ‘Neighborhood Commercial District Development Center’ project, where private experts such as commercial district planners and local creators collaborate with local governments, merchants, and residents to plan and implement sustainable commercial district development strategies.

The ‘Neighborhood Commercial District Development Center’ is a project that supports private experts in proposing innovative ideas and business models, and enables local members such as local governments, merchants, and residents to work together to solve regional issues and establish commercial district development strategies.

The 13 preliminary commercial districts selected this time will receive up to 150 million KRW in project funding to build networks, discover local resources, and establish neighborhood commercial district strategies for sustainable commercial districts. In addition, strategic tasks established through the Neighborhood Commercial District Development Center will be given preferential support when linked with commercial district revitalization projects.

Looking at the selected regions, Changwon City in Gyeongnam plans to revitalize the declining old downtown area ‘Soridangil’ by discovering local creators with the commercial district planner ‘Jusikhoesa Dibellopen’ to launch new brands and create jobs for youth and women.

Daejeon City aims to create an opportunity to rediscover Dong-gu, a modern cultural special zone with areas such as the Korean medicine street and printing street, by establishing a traditional restaurant trend in Daejeon specialized in food tourism together with the tourism-specialized local creator ‘Jaeoseu’. Busan’s Gijang-gun plans to increase the utilization of local resources such as Gijang seaweed and Gijang green onions together with the Busan-based local creator ‘Local by Local’.

Namwon City in Jeonbuk plans to create a commercial district that connects people and culture through cultural festivals and tourist attractions, and to build a win-win coexistence community between landlords and tenants for the sustainability of the commercial district. Taebaek City in Gangwon plans to attract visitors by creating a core commercial district based on local creators centered on the historical value of places such as Hwangji Pond and Myeoneorigongwon Park.

Minister Oh Young-joo said, “In the face of regional extinction risks, it is very important to discover the value of the region and creatively plan local commercial districts by incorporating new social trends,” adding, “I hope that commercial district planners with innovative capabilities and local members will further revitalize local commercial districts through the Neighborhood Commercial District Development Center.”

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