Press

SK E&S's 'Local:Rise Gunsan,' a representative regional regeneration project in Korea, has returned as a festival supporting youth startups and communication. SK E&S announced on the 30th that it held the 'Local:Rise Camp: Talking about the Future of Local' in the downtown area of Yeongwha-dong, Gunsan City, Jeollabuk-do Province for two days starting from the 27th. 'Local:Rise Gunsan' is a project that SK E&S first launched as a private initiative in 2019, with the aim of supporting regional regeneration through job creation for young people. Over three years, the company has discovered 26 youth startup teams in the Gunsan region and has been supporting entrepreneurs' product and service development and market expansion through programs in various fields including Work (shared office), Stay (residential support), Learn (coaching), and Play (festival). The 'Local:Rise Camp' is a festival event for 'Local:Rise Gunsan,' where not only 26 startup teams in Gunsan but also regional regeneration young entrepreneurs from across the country participated to share experiences in business operations and brand development. Additionally, various participants including officials from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, Jeollabuk-do Provincial Government, companies such as Kolon and McDonald's, and private investors gathered to discuss various measures for the sustainability of youth startup support and regional regeneration programs. Mo Jong-rin, a professor at Yonsei University's Graduate School of International Studies and a domestic regional regeneration expert, stated in his keynote speech, the opening session of the 'Local:Rise Camp,' "Through SK E&S's 'Local:Rise Gunsan,' a solid community has been formed among local-based entrepreneurs, and diverse local content is being produced around it. It is meaningful as it serves as an opportunity to rediscover the appearance of Gunsan through regional regeneration." This year's 'Local:Rise Camp' proceeded in the order of Local:Rise Forum, Networking Meetup, and Insight Gunsan. At the Local:Rise Forum, government officials and entrepreneurs discussed effective startup cultivation methods in the region and shared success cases. In addition, networking meetups connecting young entrepreneurs with investors, and Insight Gunsan programs where participants toured the activities of small business owners and the changing face of Gunsan, were conducted with high responses from participants. Yang Jin-ah, CEO of Useful Company Ltd., which sells fair trade products, said, "Through this program, it was helpful to professionally hear stories about various local startups," and added, "It is a meaningful event where companies continuously show interest in and support regional regeneration." An SK E&S official stated, "'Local:Rise Gunsan' is not a one-time support, but a regional regeneration model that contributes to the actual local economy through job creation via youth startups, and we will continue efforts for its nationwide expansion in the future." Meanwhile, SK E&S received a gold award in the sustainable management report division of the 'LACP 2022 Vision Awards' hosted by the American Communication League (LACP) in September, which recognized the authenticity and major achievements of ESG management. SK E&S stated, "Going forward, we will continue transparent and systematic ESG management activities unique to SK E&S based on our differentiated Green Portfolio."