Mayor Lee Jangwoo: "We Need a Brand Strategy of 'You Can Only Have It in Daejeon'"

At the Expanded Executive Meeting
"Kkumdori Ramen Will Significantly Impact the City's Brand Reputation"

Lee Jangwoo, mayor of Daejeon, is presiding over an expanded executive meeting on the 2nd. / Daejeon City

Lee Jangwoo, mayor of Daejeon, commented on the city branding strategy on the 2nd, stating, "We should establish the principle of not selling outside Daejeon and pursue a strategy of 'You can't have it unless it's in Daejeon.'"

During the expanded executive meeting he presided over that morning, Mayor Lee said, "After tasting the Kkumdori Ramen, which is set to launch on the 9th, I found it has plenty of toppings and a great flavor, so I believe it is highly competitive," and gave these instructions.

He went on to explain, "I believe the synergy between the public and private sectors has played a significant role in Daejeon being known as a city for accommodation tourism, Kkumdori travel, one-month stays in Daejeon, and as a city of waiting. I also believe that Kkumdori Ramen will have a considerable impact as a pillar of the city's brand reputation."

He added, "As the city's strengths and quality content have become known, we have started to receive proper recognition. I believe the real catalyst for Daejeon's positive economic and social evaluations was the 'Zero Hour Festival,' which essentially began two years ago."

At the time, the Zero Hour Festival attracted more than 1 to 2 million tourists, drawing the attention of many YouTubers and spreading rapidly online through social media. As a result, Daejeon's renowned restaurants, which had been famous for years, began to gain widespread recognition, and various travel courses were created. Seongsimdang surpassed 100 billion won in sales for the first time in 2023, the year the first Zero Hour Festival was held.

Meanwhile, according to an analysis of changes in domestic travel destination market share announced by the travel research institute Consumer Insight on May 27, Daejeon recorded the highest nationwide increase, with its share of travelers rising by 1.0 percentage point compared to 2023.

In addition, according to data released by the online travel company Nol Universe regarding accommodation reservations during the golden holiday period (May 1-6), Daejeon saw a 190% increase in bookings compared to the previous year, ranking first nationwide. According to the Korea Tourism Organization's 2024 regional visitor statistics, the number of visitors to Daejeon reached approximately 84.63 million, a 3.1% increase from the previous year.

Once called a "boring city" due to a perceived lack of tourist attractions apart from Seongsimdang, Daejeon has undergone a remarkable transformation in recent years, emerging as a major tourist destination nationwide.

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