Gyeonggi Province to Establish Distinctive Traditional Markets Including 'Youth Food Startup Hub'

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park Nohoon] Gyeonggi Province announced on the 23rd that it is recruiting traditional markets to participate in the '2021 Traditional Market Specialization Project,' including the 'Youth Food Startup Hub,' which will make traditional markets the center of food service business startups filled with taste and enjoyment.

This recruitment initiative, undertaken by the 7th term Gyeonggi provincial government to strengthen the self-reliance of commercial districts that have been affected by COVID-19 through specialized traditional market projects, is accepting applications in two sectors: ▲Youth Food Startup Hub and ▲Win-Win Development Gyeonggi Shared Market.

First, the 'Youth Food Startup Hub' is a project that assists in establishing 'Youth Dining Spaces' in traditional markets and shopping districts as spaces to support food service business startups for youth and middle-aged generations. The 7th term Gyeonggi provincial government is introducing and promoting this project for the first time this year.

The business targets are traditional markets, shopping districts, alley-type shopping areas, and adjacent commercial zones as defined in the 「Special Act on the Promotion of Traditional Markets and Shopping Districts」, with one location to be selected.

The selected traditional market will receive a total of 500 million won in project funding to build facilities and infrastructure. After facility construction is completed, the province plans to support operations of programs such as technical education and expert consulting to support food service business startups.

Through this initiative, the market will be developed into a startup space that matches the latest food service industry trends following COVID-19, such as the expansion of the delivery food market, and aims to promote economic revitalization through co-prosperity with the community through open space operations such as open dining areas, open offices, and local resident lounges.

The 'Win-Win Development Gyeonggi Shared Market' is a project that allocates 200 million won per market to create a 'community-type shared commercial space' in vacant spaces within traditional markets where diverse local actors can participate as sellers.

This time, 10 new business sites will be selected, providing support for publicity, marketing, cultural performances, and installation of sales counters and booths, with plans to discover new product categories and programs through shared market task forces and managers.

Traditional markets and shopping districts wishing to participate in this project should apply through their respective municipal governments by 6 p.m. on April 16. Subsequently, a selection committee will be formed to conduct document review, on-site inspections, and presentation evaluations to select the final business sites, with full-scale project implementation scheduled to begin in May.

Jo Jang-seok, Director of the Small Business Division at Gyeonggi Province, said, "We will push forward with traditional market specialization projects in line with changing economic conditions and consumption patterns to breathe new vitality into the local alley economy," and added, "As we are promoting new projects such as the Youth Food Startup Hub, we ask for your keen interest and active participation."

For more details, please refer to the Gyeonggi Province website (www.gg.go.kr) or the Gyeonggi Market and Commercial District Promotion Agency website (www.gmr.or.kr).