Press

"Gunsan is upcycling. You can add newness to something shabby and old to create value."\n\n"Gunsan is a rare item. It's a treasure trove for people who love vintage and kitsch aesthetics."\n\n"Gunsan is a playground. Not a flashy amusement park, but a neighborhood playground where old memories come alive. It seems to always wait for people in the same spot as time passes."\n\nThese are words from 'Heul-Yeol Gunsan,' a magazine created by young people settling in Gunsan. Recently, young people have been gathering in Gunsan, a city that preserves Korea's long history from the Japanese colonial period through modernization and industrialization. The unique color and charm found only in Gunsan have captivated young people seeking novelty and value.\n\n**Project Leading Regional Change Through the 'Youth and Entrepreneurship' Connection**\n\nSocial enterprise Underdogs is leading regional transformation and innovation through the urban regeneration project 'Localize Gunsan.' The rooftop of the hub space established in Yeongmae-dong.\n\nStarting the urban regeneration project 'Localize Gunsan' in early this year, the social enterprise Underdogs, which fosters entrepreneurs, has added more vitality to the city. The project, inspired by Brooklyn in the US, Berlin in Germany, and Malmö in Sweden, aims to drive regional change and innovation in Korea's Gunsan through the connection of 'youth and entrepreneurship.'\n\nTrue to its name—Gunsan (群山) meaning 'many mountains gathered together'—they created a new community by gathering young entrepreneurs. Through business briefings and recruitment from January to February, 24 teams were selected to participate in the project. A total of 70 people were selected, consisting of 11 teams in the 'incubating' stage showcasing new items and 13 teams in the 'accelerating' stage applying existing business models locally. Underdogs conducted 12-week startup education from March to June, materializing the business models of startup teams and facilitating resource connections.\n\nPrivate-led urban regeneration, rather than government or local authority-centered approaches, is considered a rare case domestically. Lee Seul-gi, director of Underdogs, stated: "Until now, most cases involved a handful of individuals struggling in regions for urban regeneration," and explained that "'Localize Gunsan' is an approach where intermediate support organizations like Underdogs support individual local creators while acting as larger-scale local creators themselves, providing education to entrepreneurs and reducing trial-and-error."\n\n**Remodeling Old Spaces, Planning Unique Travels, Developing Local Specialties**\n\nA list of 24 startup teams participating in 'Localize Gunsan.' The main business content may change through education and consultation.\n\nThe 24 teams participating in the project are divided into four categories with 'urban regeneration' as the main goal: △cultural content type △tourism-linked type △local community type △eco-friendly type. They were selected considering high local understanding of Gunsan, business differentiation, regional influence potential, and team capabilities. They are materializing business models based on creative ideas such as remodeling old spaces to build cultural and commercial spaces, planning travel experiences that capture local characteristics, and developing regional specialties.\n\nStartup teams agreed: "We want to create content that makes travelers stay longer in Gunsan and want to visit more frequently." There is consensus that transitioning from an economic and industrial city to a culture and tourism hub requires products and services with Gunsan's unique character.\n\nCha Min-gyu, CEO of 'Y-Lab,' an incubating team planning 'social dining' content for travelers, said: "Unlike regions like Jeju or Busan, the reason people don't visit Gunsan 2-3 times is due to lack of tourist attractions and absence of Gunsan-specific branding." He added, "I want to make Gunsan feel more attractive by purchasing ingredients from local shops, cooking together, sharing food with travelers, and communicating."\n\nFortunately, Gunsan has abundant historical and cultural heritage, offering rich content for discovery and development. The accelerating team 'Redib' is developing a service for photo shoots in Gunsan's unique locations. Kim Seon-ung, CEO of Redib, said: "The entire neighborhood, filled with Japanese-style atmosphere or retro aesthetics—buildings, alleyways, shops—looked like one giant studio," and added, "There's a growing trend of travelers who love photography, so I expect this to become a new type of tourism."\n\n**People Inside and Outside Gunsan Aim to Restore Regional Vitality Through Collaboration**\n\nThe 11 incubating teams and 13 accelerating teams of 'Localize Gunsan' will receive startup education from March to June, undergo consulting and resource connection processes, and hold a results-sharing conference in October.\n\n'Localize Gunsan' is characterized by providing accommodation and co-working spaces to participants in addition to startup education. With no age or career restrictions, approximately half of participants are locals and half are from other regions. Lee noted: "It's composed diversely, including not only young generations like college students and young entrepreneurs but also middle-aged people in their 40s and 50s dreaming of second acts in life," and explained: "People from inside and outside Gunsan proceed with the project based on regional understanding."\n\nBecause living and working spaces are shared and participants live communally, natural collaboration occurs between teams. Businesses starting with different ideas intertwine and overlap, moving in new directions.\n\nThe incubating team 'Hwajeopdo' is a company planning slow life practices as content tailored to Gunsan's characteristics. They collaborate with other teams on photography, video, and design work necessary for business, and have developed content by connecting with local cooperatives. Lee Hee-jung, CEO of Hwajeopdo, stated: "Through the project, collaborating with like-minded teams and being able to utilize local resources was helpful."\n\nStartup teams concrete their business models through Underdogs' education and share experiences and abilities with other teams through collaboration.\n\nThe startup education program that began in March will conclude by June. Teams making products will produce prototypes, while service-providing teams will test consumer reactions through social media and other channels. Based on results, funding will be distributed differentially, and through expert consulting and resource connection, they will be supported in settling into sustainable businesses. In October, they plan to hold a festival gathering the achievements of startup teams.\n\nUnderdogs will comprehensively review project continuity, possibilities in other regions, and related matters through this year's project implementation.