‘Making Itaewon a Global Commercial Hub’... Yongsan-gu Selects ‘Local Brand 30’

Selected by industry such as food and beverage, culture and arts, clubs
Utilized for commercial district branding and linked with key visuals

A disco aerobics performance is underway at the Itaewon cultural arts event held in June as part of the Itaewon commercial district enhancement project. Provided by Yongsan-gu.

Yongsan-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Park Hee-young) announced on the 25th that it has unveiled the ‘Local Brand 30’ reflecting the unique characteristics of Itaewon to develop the area into a world-class commercial district.

The Itaewon Local Brand 30 consists of 30 specialized stores selected by industry, including food, cafes, culture and arts, and clubs within Itaewon, to be used for promoting the branding of the commercial district. Through the Itaewon Local Brand project, the plan is to lay the foundation for detailed initiatives such as promoting the value of local brands, content development, data digitization (archiving), and various events.

The final Local Brand 30 includes 20 food and beverage (F&B) establishments, 3 fashion and beauty stores, and 7 entertainment venues. These locations will participate as key stores in various events until the end of next year, offering visitors to Itaewon a variety of attractions and entertainment. The selected Local Brand 30 can be viewed on the ‘Hey Itaewon’ Instagram account.

A networking system among the Local Brand 30 will also be established. Starting this month, a bimonthly networking program will be launched to build the capacity to independently resolve issues arising within the commercial district.

To promote the branding of the commercial district, a key visual for the Itaewon Local Brand is also being developed. Online voting will be held until the 28th, and the final selected key visual will be revealed on the 29th. This strategy visualizes the brand message of the Itaewon commercial district with a slogan embodying the ‘Itaewon essence.’ Voting is available on the Hey Itaewon Instagram.

Yongsan-gu selected the final 30 locations through online consumer evaluations and qualitative assessments by a panel of four experts, including professors and commercial district specialists. Since Itaewon was selected last year as a target for Seoul’s Local Brand Commercial District Strengthening Project, revitalization efforts such as Itaewon cultural and artistic events and fostering local creators have been underway. This year marks the second phase of the project, which will conclude with the third phase next year.

Mayor Park Hee-young stated, “With the selection of the Itaewon Local Brand 30 and the development of the key visual, we have laid the foundation for ‘Itaewon’ to leap beyond a commercial district to become a brand. Based on this, we will make multifaceted efforts to strengthen Itaewon’s unique character and invigorate the commercial district.”

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