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"Besides eating jjamppong and buying red bean buns, isn't there anything else to do in Gunsan?" Gunsan, located in the west of Jeollabuk-do province, has an unusually high number of Chinese restaurants and bakeries. Most tourists visiting Gunsan go to famous shops promoted through TV and social media, then visit a few well-known attractions like Chowon Photo Studio, Gunsan Customs, Iron Rail Village, and Seonyu Island before ending their trip. While Gunsan has served as a 'transit point' when traveling to larger nearby cities like Jeonju or Gwangju, it has rarely been a 'destination' in itself. However, recently Gunsan has emerged as a region attracting young people's attention. As 'New-tro' (enjoying retro in a new way) has become a recent trend, and Gunsan—with well-preserved traces of the modern and industrial era—has gained attention as a 'hip' place. In particular, the urban regeneration project 'Local:Rise Gunsan,' which officially began in March, is breathing new vitality into the region. UnderDogs, From Seoul to Regional Project... Gunsan After Hyundai and GM Social enterprise 'UnderDogs' and SK E&S, a regional energy company, have joined forces to create startup spaces in Gunsan and nurture social ventures. 'Local:Rise Gunsan' is UnderDogs' first project venturing outside Seoul-centric activities into regions. True to its name, 'raising regions,' it operates various social venture incubation programs. Its main goals are to develop the old downtown area of Yeongwhoa-dong into Gunsan's cultural and tourism center and create local jobs. Eunsuk Lee, UnderDogs Director, stated: "Startup education has been concentrated in Seoul, and regional education has lacked sustainability. This opportunity allows UnderDogs to make our first attempt based in Gunsan. It's a new opportunity both for aspiring entrepreneurs and startup educators." Gunsan is a city whose regional economy has dramatically contracted due to manufacturing industry decline in recent years. Following the suspension of Hyundai Heavy Industries' Gunsan shipyard in 2017 and GM's Gunsan factory closure last year, population outflow continues. As residents gradually leave and tourists don't stay long, the entire region faces loss of vitality. Rich History, Culture, and Heritage... "The Old Sensibility Remains Intact" Twenty-four teams were selected through business briefing sessions in Seoul and Gunsan to participate in the project. Meanwhile, a 'rediscovery' of Gunsan as a region also took place. Gunsan is a representative port city that led the economy and finance of Jeolla region, with traces of Japanese colonial period and modernization well-preserved throughout the downtown. Thanks to well-harmonized natural landscapes of sea, river, lake, and islands, abundant tourism heritage, and distinct regional characteristics. Director Lee explained: "Fundamentally, Gunsan has rich cultural and historical capital with great potential. When touched by young hands, it can show a completely different aspect from the past—an attractive region. Yeongwhoa-dong area, which developed relatively slowly and thus has empty spaces but simultaneously abundant attractive resources, will be filled with new feelings through 'Local:Rise Gunsan.'" Beginning in October last year, the project went through residents' forums in January, Seoul business briefings, and a Gunsan National University pre-camp in February, ultimately selecting 24 teams with about 70 participants under approximately 3:1 competition. Eleven teams in the 'incubating' sector for startups under one year old and thirteen teams in the 'accelerating' sector for startups in their 2-3rd year and beyond were selected. Startup education is being conducted over 12 weeks from March to June this year. The incubating teams will receive up to 100 million won, accelerating teams up to 500 million won, for a total of 600 million won. Establishing Hub Spaces in Old Downtown... "Nurturing Regional Social Ventures to Solve Social Problems" A building in Yeongwhoa-dong, the old downtown area of Gunsan, was remodeled to establish a hub space. The first floor features a cafe and editorial shop, the second floor coworking spaces, and the third floor a shared kitchen. Unlike other startup support programs, 'Local:Rise Gunsan' provides both workspace and accommodation facilities for entrepreneurs. To allow entrepreneurs to freely develop ideas and collaborate with other teams, a three-floor hub space was established in Yeongwhoa-dong in March. It includes a cafe, editorial shop, collaboration spaces, meeting rooms, shared kitchen, offices, and rest areas. It's open to the general public and tourists so anyone can use the space. While UnderDogs handles startup education, SK E&S, which operates city gas business in Jeollabuk region, laid the overall foundation for the project. SK is realizing the 'social value' it emphasizes at the group level in the region as well. SK E&S plans to expand the value of Local:Rise Gunsan by utilizing capabilities held by related companies including SK's public interest organization 'Happiness Nare.' Ki-young Kim, Head of SK E&S Social Value Division, stated: "We will transform Gunsan, an industrial city, into Korea's representative cultural and tourism center. Rather than existing one-time charity-focused corporate social responsibility, we will cultivate social ventures on a regional basis and create jobs to solve social problems that Gunsan faces." ♦ Original Article: http://www.eroun.net/news/articleView.html?idxno=5565