Imsil En Cheese Dairy Special Zone Selected as National Excellent Special Zone

Ministry of SMEs and Startups '2020 Performance Evaluation', 12 Selected out of 190 Nationwide

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Nosik] The Imsil En Cheese Dairy Special Zone has been honored as an excellent special zone nationwide.

The county announced on the 23rd that it was selected as an excellent special zone in the '2020 Performance Evaluation' hosted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups this year, receiving a ministerial citation and a reward of 50 million won.

Based on last year's performance, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups evaluated 190 special zones nationwide and finally selected and announced 12 excellent special zones, including the Imsil En Cheese Dairy Special Zone.

The evaluation was conducted through in-depth review over three rounds: document evaluation, on-site evaluation, and presentation evaluation regarding the performance of special zone operations.

Designated in 2016, the Imsil En Cheese Dairy Special Zone covers an area of 765,000㎡ and operates the Imsil Cheese and Food Research Institute, Imsil N Cheese Cluster, and Imsil Cheese Theme Park. Last year, it achieved results including attracting 19 companies, creating 195 jobs, and generating sales of 33.6 billion won.

The Imsil En Cheese Dairy Special Zone promoted product research and development led by the Imsil Cheese and Food Research Institute, developing eight new products and achieving product development results through four patent registrations.

Through the operation of highway rest areas and cheese cafes by the Imsil N Cheese Cluster, sales increased by 20% compared to the previous year, reaching 3.4 billion won. The Imsil N Cheese Festival attracted 490,000 tourists and contributed to a 40 billion won regional economic ripple effect, which was highly evaluated.

County Governor Shim Min said, “We will continue to develop the dairy industry and dairy product processing industry, which are the foundations of the Imsil regional special zone project, in connection with tourism and experience centered on the Imsil Cheese Theme Park. We will ensure that Imsil N Cheese firmly establishes itself as a representative cheese brand of Korea and continues to grow through the development of Korean-style cheese.”