Press

Empty Building in Seoul Filled with Stories of 26 Local Brands from 3 Regions Underdogs, a practical startup education institution, announced the successful conclusion of 'Local City Exhibition: The City That Found Me,' a brand experience exhibition featuring 26 local brands from Gunsan, Gangneung, and Jeju held at SK E&S headquarters in Waryong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul from the 9th to 12th. This event marks the second gathering following a joint hackathon held in December last year by 'Local Assemble,' a collaborative network of local startups. It was organized to connect domestic regions and people in new ways, as local economy and domestic travel have become the 'new normal' following COVID-19. The four-day exhibition attracted approximately 700 visitors, despite being reservation-only, featuring 26 local brands from product, content, and space sectors across the three regions. The exhibition comprised an experiential display space and pop-up store area. The experiential space showcased brands' content and products through photos, text, and videos, creating the feeling of traveling to actual locations. The pop-up stores featured approximately 100 products including food, household goods, and design merchandise from all 26 local brands. Participating brands included Gunsan Seom Kim (seafood brand), Wolmyeong Studio (vintage costume photo studio) from Gunsan; Weekenders (Gangwon lifestyle stay) and Pado Salon (nomadic coworking space) from Gangneung; and Haenyeo's Kitchen (performances depicting divers' lives and seafood dining) and Jeju Do Joha (upcycled sea glass art) from Jeju. Kim Ga-eun, founder of So.dosi and exhibition planner, said, 'It was meaningful to introduce regional brands that were 'only known to those in the know' in Seoul,' adding, 'If we provided visitors with travel experiences during COVID-19 restrictions and they visit these regions directly afterwards, that would be truly gratifying.' Kim Jung-heon, CEO of Underdogs, stated, 'Over the past two years, we've conducted startup education in 12 regions including the Gunsan Localize project and witnessed changes happening locally. Through this event, Local Assemble will take the lead in expanding local impact as a platform connecting these changes.'