□ Minister LEE Young forms a private-public team with the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Yongsan-gu, Korea Commission for Corporate Partnership, local creators, the Korea Association for Influencers, and industries to revive the Itaewon commercial district   □ The participants will use their expertise to promote strategic planning, online/offline publicity, and various events to help revive Itaewon

On March 15, Minister of SMEs and Startups, LEE Young, met with people from local governments and public institutions (Seoul Metropolitan Government, Yongsan-gu, Korea Commission for Corporate Partnership), local creators, industries (including Woowa Brothers), the Korea Association for Influencers, and the Itaewon Special Tourist Zone Organization at BRONZ, a local restaurant in Itaewon. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss ways to revive the Itaewon commercial district.
 
 

	< Meeting overview>
▪(Date) ’23.3.15 (Wed), 14:15~16:00   ▪(Venue) BRONZ in Itaewon (179, Itaewon-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul)   ▪(Participants) 20 people, including the Minister of SMEs and Startups, and people from the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Yongsan-gu, Korea Commission for Corporate Partnership, Itaewon Special Tourist Zone Organization, Korea Association for Influencers, Woowa Brothers, and Grip Company

 
After the October 29 Halloween crowd crush last year, Minister LEE visited Itaewon twice this year to listen to the difficulties of restaurants, cafes, and small-business owners in the neighborhood. She also worked with related agencies such as Seoul Metropolitan Government, Yongsan-gu, the National Tax Service, the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency, and Small Enterprise and Market Service to establish and operate a one-stop support center, expand policy fund support to resolve business risks, and extend tax deadlines.
 
The meeting was prepared to promote the ‘HEY, ITAEWON’ project by forming a team between the central government, local governments, public institutions, merchant associations, platforms, and online commerce companies and to share collaboration plans.
 
The participants will play the following roles in overall project planning, commercial district revitalisation, events/projects, public relations/marketing, and on-site communication.
 
[Overall planning and commercial district revitalisation]
 
First, local creators will promote commercial planning and branding. Under the banner of ‘Itaewon Heritage,’ which reflects Itaewon’s history and culture, they will develop content, campaigns, and marketing strategies and create an innovative convergence hub space. This is to help the neighborhood rebound as ‘Glocal Itaewon.’
 
[Events]

The Seoul Metropolitan Government and Yongsan-gu have decided to continue large and small events. ‘Itaewon, Spring Again’ street performances will take place every Saturday evening, and events associated with Seoul Festa 2023 and Itaewon Gourmet Week are planned from the end of April.
 
The Korea Association for Influencers will help revive the neighborhood by holding exhibitions and street performances for two days from April 8 to 9.
 
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups, Woowa Brothers, and Grip Company will hold side events at the Korea Companionship Festival in May and live commerce events with restaurant owners in the Itaewon area using apps to help boost the local economy. Apart from the above, Yongsan-gu has expanded the discount rate of the ‘Itaewon Commercial District Revival Gift Certificate’ from 10% to 20% from March 8.
 
[PR and Marketing]
 
The Small Enterprise Broadcasting & Information Service will produce a documentary series about the daily lives of Itaewon market merchants. OBS, SBS biz, KTV, and yesTV will broadcast it from the end of March.
 
The Itaewon Special Tourist Zone Organization will manage an official Instagram channel, ‘HEY, ITAEWON,’ and upload upcoming events in the commercial district.
 
[Communication window]
 
The Small Enterprise & Market Service (Seoul Headquarters) is responsible for on-site communication and connecting industries that want to participate in the project with the commercial district as the neighborhood starts to recover.
 
 

Area	Main contents	Participants
Planning	∘Promote ‘Itaewon Heritage’ (March∼) - Campaign, marketing, and archiving using Itaewon contents - Branding Itaewon and incorporating pop-up stores and live commerce	Ministry of SMEs & Startups and Local creators
Events	∘Special sales of Itaewon gift certificates (March∼September) * 30 billion won, 20% discount	Seoul·Yongsan-gu
	∘Itaewon artists’ exhibition and busking performances (April 8∼9)	Korea Association for Influencers
	∘Events in Itaewon during the Seoul Festa (April 30∼ May 7) - Itaewon Class and Itaewon Rediscovery Map contents in Gwanghwamun	Seoul
	∘Itaewon live commerce (May)	Grip Company
	∘Sales promotion for restaurant owners in Itaewon using apps	Woowa Brothers
	∘Korea Companionship Festival side-events (Sodam store promotions) (May)	Ministry of SMEs & Startups
PR Marketing	∘Human documentary about market people “Itaewon merchants’ story” production (5 episodes) and broadcasting * March (Production)→End of March (Programming)→ End of April (Broadcast, OBS·SBS biz, etc.)	Small Enterprise Broadcasting & Information Service
	∘Manage ‘HEY, ITAEWON’ Instagram (official PR channel)	Itaewon Special Tourist Zone Organization

 
※ The schedule is subject to change due to various circumstances.
 
Minister LEE Young stated, “My heart was heavy because Itaewon, one of the most popular neighborhoods in Korea loved by people all over the world, is still struggling to recover. However, seeing the people gathered here today gives me plenty of hope. The Ministry of SMEs and Startups has been preparing this project to revive the Itaewon commercial district for a long time, and we expect more people will participate in the future.”
 
She added, “Itaewon is a space of diversity, so it has infinite possibilities and potential. I hope all participants will give 100% so the neighborhood can rebound and make a new leap forward.”