SK E&S Urban Regeneration 'Localize Gunsan'... Playing a Key Role in the Social Safety Net

[Asia Economy Reporter Park So-yeon] SK E&S, an energy company of SK Group, announced on the 8th that it will open a pop-up store themed on the urban regeneration project 'Localize Gunsan.'

From the 9th to the 12th, SK E&S will operate the 'Local City Exhibition: The City That Found Me' pop-up store at the Underdogs headquarters in Waryong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, in collaboration with Underdogs, a youth entrepreneurship education specialist company.

At the pop-up store, a total of 26 social venture companies, including the Localize Gunsan startup teams supported by SK E&S, will participate and showcase their products.

'Localize (Local:Rise) Gunsan,' a combination of the English words 'localize' and 'sunrise,' is a project by SK E&S to revitalize Gunsan City, Jeonbuk, which was once an automobile and shipbuilding industrial city but now faces economic decline.

The project aims to develop the old downtown area of Gunsan, particularly the Yeonghwa-dong district, into a cultural and tourism hub, create local jobs, and breathe new life into the city with the participation of social enterprises.

The company stated that the Localize Gunsan project is gaining more attention as domestic travel is spotlighted in the COVID-19 era and local community and commercial districts are expanding.

Localize Gunsan was selected as the theme for SK Group's social value event 'SUB (Social Value Connect, SOVAC),' and an online conference was held on the 7th.

At the conference, Lee Dong-geon, CEO of MyRealTrip; Cho Sang-rae, CEO of Underdogs; and Noh Tae-jun, team leader of Danggeun Market, evaluated that 'Localtact' has become a new trend in the COVID-19 era. Localtact is a concept combining local and contact.

Yoo Jung-joon, president of SK E&S, said, "We will continue to strive to fulfill the role of social safety nets in each region."