Press

Family and Company: Words that seem unrelated at first glance, but they are not. Family refers to mouths that share meals together, and the word 'Company' originates from the Latin word 'Companio,' meaning 'those who share bread.' In other words, it's about 'living and eating together.' In today's world where people rush through meals, concepts like family communities or living communities are becoming increasingly blurred. Therefore, the experience of eating and enjoying meals together becomes even more special and important in local startup ecosystems. When communities form in regions and people gather from inside and outside to do things together, that becomes the force and foundation that solidifies regions. This is why I believe in its importance. Gunsan is a modern port city and representative industrial city where large-scale heavy industries developed with auto factories and shipyards. However, when the backbone industries supporting the regional economy decided to close, the city faced decline. Many people lost their jobs, left their hometowns, and went elsewhere. Teenagers and university students even aim to leave Gunsan after graduation. Eventually, Gunsan was included in the list of cities at risk of disappearance in 2022. The everyday life of living and eating together seemed to be gradually disappearing. Yet, there are still people living in Gunsan. Artists who were born in Gunsan and work here, activists who graduated from universities in Gunsan even if they're not from Gunsan, people who visited Gunsan as travelers, fell in love with its charm, and operate guesthouses, young entrepreneurs who settled through Gunsan startup support projects, and young people who always vacation in Gunsan. Local Friendly, which I operate, focused on the fact that diverse young people continue to live in Gunsan and can still gather here. We wanted to create a community where we could interact with various outsiders, and that's how we started. Local Friendly Co., Ltd., starting this way, introduces itself by changing '주식(shares)' to '주식(food and drink)' and solves the importance of community where people eat, drink, play, and live together as a business. Building regional communities based on the values of 'hospitality' and 'human touch' is our work. Local Friendly's various community spaces provide fellowship for new arrivals to Gunsan and loose solidarity and interaction for those leaving Gunsan, allowing them to remember Gunsan and return anytime. Believing that 'space' is the most necessary element to create a community, we first created 'accommodation space' for visiting outsiders. Rather than simple lodging, it's a community hotel where the entire village welcomes guests. We produced 'coupons' and 'village maps' so visitors naturally blend into Gunsan's daily life and connected local restaurants, pubs, cafes, and various shops. We made efforts so travelers don't just meet Gunsan as simple consumption and superficial tourist destinations, but connect to Gunsan as a region. Meanwhile, we felt the need for different spaces where people living here would think of Gunsan as a place they want to continue living in and find interesting. This led to the idea of introducing food and drinks from inside and outside Gunsan, which connected to planning 'Local Shops' where people eat and drink together. The space created this way became the 'Traditional Liquor Bottle Shop.' It became not just a place for purchases, but a venue for experience programs like tasting sessions and making workshops, and one of the community spaces where collaboration programs with nearby shops take place. Thus, the spaces operated by Local Friendly have created diverse interactions between residents and visitors beyond simply providing services and sales. We gained local interest and planned 'neighborhood festivals' with many participants. Over four years since settling in Gunsan, Local Friendly has woven together young entrepreneurs, artists, local people, and visitors to Gunsan like an adhesive. All this is the result of pondering how to live and eat together. Regions with diverse and solid communities eventually appear attractive to outsiders. In this way, people fascinated by the region's community, atmosphere, and charm visit Gunsan again, and create a 'relational population' that continues to visit Gunsan. Through the Local Friendly business, we realize the importance of creating not just a business where we alone shine, but a sustainable structure where everyone can thrive in relationships—creating a 'positive cycle.' This is the reason we focus on living and eating together, and why we call ourselves 'neighborhood operators.' By Kim Su-jin, CEO of Local Friendly Co., Ltd., Gunsan, Jeollabuk-do Hello. We are Local Friendly, operating the traditional liquor bottle shop & stay 'Ju-inn' in Yeongwha-dong, the original downtown area of Gunsan, and operating the community hotel 'Whose Next' and neighborhood festivals with local entrepreneurs. In 2019, we participated in the Local Rise Gunsan Project and received Underdogs startup education, settling in Gunsan with our startup for our fourth year. Recently, we are also working as an Underdogs facilitator at Gunsan University. We are constantly working and challenging ourselves, and recently we are quietly(?) preparing makgeolli brewing (laughs). ※ Local Game Changer is a local correspondent corps jointly conducted by Startup Recipe and Underdogs, introducing diverse voices from regional startup ecosystems. Local Game Changer In 2015, we started startup education with the purpose of 'discovering good entrepreneur colleagues' and changed the one-directional lecture-focused trend in startup education to practice-oriented coaching education. As a result, as of 2022, we have produced over 10,000 startup trainees called 'Underdogs Alumni' across the country. We believe that advancing the world to a better place is 'innovation,' and that innovation is created by 'entrepreneurs.'