[Feature] Suncheon City Evolving from a Tourist Destination to a City of Experience and Experimentation

Sindaecheon Weekend Plaza, Haeryong-myeon, Suncheon. Provided by Suncheon City

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"What is there in Suncheon?" Many travelers visiting Suncheon ask this question. Suncheonman Wetland, the National Garden, the reed fields, and migratory birds-words used to describe Suncheon have long been rooted in nature. However, in 2026, Suncheon is no longer a city defined solely by its scenery.

The city of Suncheon is now transforming into a place where "something to see" is created. It is no longer just a city where tourists take photos and leave; it is becoming a space where creators stay, stories are made, and experiences unfold.

With its designation as a Culture City of Korea in 2026, Suncheon is launching a cultural content project with a total budget of 19.8 billion won. However, the city's strategy is fundamentally different from large-scale festivals or one-off events. Suncheon has chosen to transform the entire city into a testbed for the content industry.

Already, 36 content companies previously based in the Seoul metropolitan area have relocated to Suncheon. In this process, 58 new content IPs have been created, and animation, webtoon, and character companies have established themselves throughout the city center. Around anchor companies such as Kenaz and Locus, a structure connecting planning, production, distribution, and consumption has begun to operate within the region.

Recently, the industry has even coined the term "heading to Suncheon." This reflects how content companies, weary of high rents and fierce competition, are leaving the metropolitan area in search of a city connected to real production environments. This change is also visible in the travel landscape. What visitors encounter in Suncheon is not a finished exhibition hall, but the very sites of creation.

At the Content Licensing Fair to be held in November 2026, domestic and international buyers will participate to directly review the character, webtoon, and animation IPs of local companies. Tourists will witness not just the final products, but the very moments of contract negotiations and planning in action.

Another distinctive feature of Suncheon is that it is "a city where warm-hearted people live." Since January this year, 57 young creators selected from across the country have been living in Suncheon for four months, continuing their work. Their base is the "Global Cultural Content Academy," also known as "Studio Suncheon."

Education is led by active directors, animators, and webtoon producers. After completing the program, participants are connected with local companies. It is now a common sight to see young people drawing storyboards in downtown cafes or teams testing characters in the plaza. The entire city functions like one big production studio.

At sunset, the atmosphere in Suncheon changes once again. Ordinary streets become stages for people. This is the "Weekend Plaza," a citizen-participatory street culture program. The cumulative number of visitors is estimated at 180,000, with a local economic impact of about 1 billion won. Grass roads, experience booths, and character pop-up stores are set up, and tourists become participants rather than mere spectators.

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