Jeongeup-si Selected for Alley Economy Recovery Support Project Led by Ministry of the Interior and Safety

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Jeongeup City in Jeonbuk announced on the 6th that its ‘Juhyang (酒香) Street Creation Project’ was finally selected in the ‘Alley Economy Recovery Support Contest’ hosted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, securing a special grant of 400 million KRW.

The ‘Alley Economy Recovery Support Project’ is a project to build alley economy infrastructure through the utilization and linkage of local resources to recover and enhance the competitiveness of alley economies in areas severely affected economically by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

In this contest, six projects nationwide were finally selected, including Jeongeup City’s proposed ‘Juhyang (酒香) Specialized Street Creation Project.’

With this selection, the city plans to achieve the nationalization of traditional liquors including local Makgeolli, foster tourist attractions, and make every effort to restore the local commercial district.

The term Juhyang (酒香) in the ‘Juhyang (酒香) Street Creation Project’ refers to one of Jeongeup’s five fragrances (Ohyang, 五香) encompassing traditional liquors in the region.

To revitalize the alley commercial district, the city has been promoting the ‘Juhyang (酒香) Specialized Street Creation Project,’ which focuses on local unique food items, as a mid- to long-term plan since 2021 as one of its major policies.

This aims to expand the consumption of local agricultural products and revitalize the declining local commercial district to restore the functions of the deteriorated old downtown area.

The city plans to develop Makgeolli and traditional liquors using local agricultural products such as rice to encourage bar startups and activate the local economy by linking with the already established ‘Ssanghwacha Street.’

The main projects include ▲designation of Juhyang Street (building a food-specialized street linked with Ssanghwacha Street) ▲design street construction (installation of nightscape lighting and creation of open spaces) ▲events to attract tourists.

In particular, the city plans to refresh and improve the deteriorated alleys to be clean and pleasant and provide alley commercial district consulting education for business owners.

Mayor Yoo Jin-seop said, “Once the Juhyang Street, featuring various Makgeolli and traditional liquors such as Jukryeokgo produced in eight locations in Jeongeup, is created, it is expected not only to widely promote our local traditional liquors but also to revitalize the local economy and breathe new life into the declining old downtown area.”