Jeju Creative Economy Innovation Center, Startup Forum for Local Brand Business Success

The Jeju Creative Economy Innovation Center successfully hosted the ‘3rd Jeju Startup Ecosystem Forum X KNOCK KNOCK DAY’ at Jeju Venture Maru on the 29th, illuminating the infinite possibilities of Jeju’s local brand commercial districts. This forum was prepared to deeply explore the future of regional brands, building on the remarkable achievement of local creator companies supported by the Jeju Center being selected as ‘Local Brand Commercial District Creation Teams’ for two consecutive years. The forum kicked off with Team Leader Koh Deok-hoon from the Jeju Center introducing key policies for ‘Local Brand Commercial District Creation’ and ‘Glocal Commercial District Creation Projects’. Following this, CEO Park Seung-hyun of Gongjon Gonggan Co., Ltd., who built a successful glocal commercial district model in Haenggung-dong, Suwon, shared 10 years of accumulated know-how in commercial district revitalization through a keynote speech, garnering great empathy from attendees. CEO Park presented a vision for sustainable regional commercial districts through examples such as the brand expansion of the local creator-centric ‘Sindosiyangjohwe’ and the promotion of the resident-led establishment of the ‘Haenggung-dong Association’. The highlight of this forum was the vivid field experiences shared by representatives directly leading local brands in the Jeju region. Kim Jung-ah, CEO of Cocoha, selected as a 2024 Local Brand Creation Team, presented deep insights into regional revitalization under the theme “The Village Helps You,” announcing the achievements of building a local network centered around Sehwa-ri, Jeju City over the past year, operating diverse travel programs, and successfully holding the village-themed flea market ‘Momo-jang’ and ‘Momo Fashion Show’. Furthermore, Lee Geum-jae, CEO of Illo & Co., Ltd., newly selected as a 2025 Local Brand Creation Team, presented a blueprint for planning the commercial district of Jeju’s old downtown under the intriguing theme of ‘Kkodakkodak Georeumeong: 15 Years of Exploring Jeju’s Old Downtown,’ drawing enthusiastic responses from attendees. Following the keynote speeches, a talk session featuring CEOs Park Seung-hyun, Kim Jung-ah, and Lee Geum-jae discussed in depth ‘The Present and Future Sustainability of Local Brand Commercial Districts’. Participants diagnosed the challenges faced by Jeju’s local brand commercial districts, addressed various on-site questions, and engaged in active communication. Lee Byung-sun, head of the Jeju Center, evaluated that this forum emphasized the potential and importance of Jeju’s local brand commercial districts, having a positive ripple effect throughout the community. CEO Lee stated that the center will continue to focus its capabilities on discovering excellent local creators and small business owners, strengthening cooperative systems, and sparing no effort in supporting Jeju to become a successful model for glocal commercial districts. The Jeju Creative Economy Innovation Center plans to use this forum as an opportunity to further solidify the network of local creators and continuously seek practical support measures to further enhance the competitiveness of Jeju’s local brands.