Jinju City Recognized as Korea's Top City Brand for K-Entrepreneurship

Brand Value of "Jinju, the Capital of Entrepreneurship in Korea," Proven Nationwide
City's Integrated Strategy Linking Economy, Tourism, and International Exchange Praised
Jinju Takes Steps Toward Becoming a Leading Global Brand City

Jinju City in Gyeongnam Province has once again received nationwide recognition for the brand competitiveness of "Jinju, the Capital of Entrepreneurship in Korea."

The city announced that on May 15, "Jinju, the Capital of Entrepreneurship in Korea" was selected as the Grand Prize winner in the Local Government category at the "2026 National Representative Brand Awards" organized by the Maeil Business Media Group.

The "National Representative Brand Awards" is a prestigious brand award program hosted by the Maeil Business Media Group and supported by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Science and ICT, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The best brands in each field are selected through basic research, consumer surveys, and expert evaluations, targeting public institutions, local governments, and companies.

This year, the evaluation was conducted on more than 760 brands across the country, with a final selection of 36 brands.

[Photo provided by Jinju City] Park Ildong, Acting Mayor of Jinju City, is taking a commemorative photo after receiving the Grand Prize in the Local Government Category at the '2026 National Representative Brand Awards' ceremony held on the 15th for the brand 'Jinju, the Capital of Korean Entrepreneurship.'

Kim Myungsoo, CEO of Maekyung AX, stated, "Since Jinju City declared itself as the Capital of Entrepreneurship in Korea in 2018, it has successfully grown its brand through various efforts, including hosting international and youth forums, organizing start-up competitions, and expanding educational opportunities for future generations." He added, "We highly valued Jinju's outstanding achievements and contributions, which is why it was selected as the national representative brand in the local government category."

This award is particularly meaningful as it signifies external recognition of Jinju City's city brand strategy based on entrepreneurship.

Jinju City has fostered "Jinju K-Entrepreneurship," inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit of the founders of LG, GS, Samsung, and Hyosung groups, as a core regional asset and has promoted various initiatives to spread this spirit globally.

In particular, "Jinju K-Entrepreneurship" has been expanded beyond simply preserving historical assets, extending into education, tourism, and international exchange, thereby establishing a distinctive city identity unique to Jinju.

The "Jinju K-Entrepreneurship Center," which opened in 2022, has welcomed 310,000 visitors so far and has provided customized education to over 8,500 CEOs of SMEs and venture companies as well as 3,900 elementary, middle, and high school students, invigorating both the next generation and the broader economic sector.

In addition, this year's "Jinju K-Entrepreneurship International Forum" was finally selected in the Regional Signature International Conference category in the "2026 Global K-Convention Promotion Project" organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization.

Furthermore, Seungsan Village in Jisu-myeon, known as the cradle of Korean business leaders, has been chosen as Korea's representative candidate for the "UN Best Tourism Village," drawing attention both domestically and internationally to the historical, cultural, and tourism value of Jinju K-Entrepreneurship.

Jinju City plans to continue pursuing a wide range of projects spanning the economy, education, tourism, and international exchange, including the ▲K-Entrepreneurship Start-up Competition, ▲development of entrepreneurship education content, ▲creation of K-Merchant tourism routes, and ▲promotion of international forums.

Park Ildong, Acting Mayor of Jinju City, commented, "This award is a meaningful result that officially recognizes Jinju City's sustained efforts and achievements as the center of entrepreneurship in Korea. Moving forward, we will do our utmost to promote the value of Jinju K-Entrepreneurship worldwide and to establish Jinju as a leading global brand city representing Korea."

Meanwhile, Jinju City has consistently demonstrated the competitiveness of its entrepreneurship city brand, receiving the "Korea Marketing Frontier Grand Prize" from the Korean Marketing Association in 2023 and the "Korea Product Grand Prize" from the Korean Society for Product Studies in 2024.

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