60 Years of Industry → Industry + Culture ... Ulsan Growth Engine City Strategy, Baton Touch

'Global Game Center and Webtoon Campus Development' and Other National Fund Projects Selected

Secured a Total of 19.5 Billion KRW Including 9.7 Billion KRW in Content Business National Funds Over the Past 4 Years

Various content industry items in Ulsan.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] Ulsan City is fostering the content industry as a new growth engine strategy.

Beyond 60 years as an industrial city, it plans to pass the baton of regional strategic industries to become a cultural city. Ulsan is currently preparing for designation as a cultural city.

Content refers to information or materials that we can access through various media. It broadly includes fields such as video, games, music, comics, characters, and knowledge information.

Over the past four years, Ulsan City has consecutively attracted national government-funded projects in the cultural content sector, securing a total project cost of 19.5 billion KRW and 9.7 billion KRW in national funds, laying the foundation for development in this field.

In 2019, 1 billion KRW was secured for the establishment of Content Korea Lab; in 2021, 3.6 billion KRW for the creation and operation of the Content Enterprise Support Center; and in January 2022, 600 million KRW for the establishment of the ‘Global Game Center.’ On the 19th of last month, it successfully attracted the ‘Webtoon Campus’ establishment and operation project, securing an additional 350 million KRW in national funds.

Also, designated as a base institution for regional specialized content development and content industry promotion, it has received more than 300 million KRW annually in national funds since 2021 and has consistently hosted domestic and international tournaments to revitalize E-sports (Electronic sports).

The ‘Ulsan Content Korea Lab,’ which enhances creators’ capabilities and supports startups, has educated over 2,800 people in two years since its opening in 2020, supported 84 commercialization projects, helped 8 companies successfully start businesses, and supported employment for 24 people.

The ‘Ulsan Content Enterprise Support Center,’ opened on March 17, currently houses 20 content companies as a startup hub in this field.

The center is equipped with extended reality (XR) studio filming facilities and content production equipment to support corporate activities.

Last year, three regional specialized contents were developed, among which ‘Ulsan Tourism Metaverse: Tour Planet’ realistically reproduced the Daewangam area in Dong-gu, drawing attention as an innovative case in the digital tourism industry.

The content development company is growing as a specialized company based on an extended virtual world online system (metaverse platform), expanding its scope not only to tourism but also to industrial extended virtual world (metaverse) content.

Ulsan City is actively promoting new projects this year, including the ‘Global Game Center’ and the ‘Webtoon Campus’ establishment projects.

Through the Ulsan Global Game Center, it aims to solidify the local game industry ecosystem, and by establishing the Webtoon Campus, it promotes the nurturing of Ulsan’s webtoon creators and revitalization of the comic industry.

An official from Ulsan City said, “Considering the emergence of various online system platforms and the speed of information and communication technology development, the content industry will have greater ripple effects and scalability in the future,” adding, “We will nurture creative and capable local talent and companies without spatial constraints and turn this into a new growth engine that creates youth jobs.”