'Reliable Support for Young Entrepreneurs' Gwangju Dong-gu, a Local Government That Truly Fulfills Its Role

'Empty House Youth Startup Filling Project' Receives Positive Response

Transition from Government Program to Independent Project... Budget Also Expanded

Major Success Stories Including 'Moram Platform' and 'Funstory'

Kim Jong-eon, CEO of 'Moram Platform,' which mediates cultural and artistic content, constantly wondered whether he should quit despite being in the early stages of his startup. Of the annual sales of 41 million KRW, rent accounted for a staggering 25%, making fixed costs excessively high.

While worrying daily, he happened to learn about a project supported by local governments. It was the 'Vacant House Youth Startup Filling Project' in Dong-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City.

CEO Kim applied for this project and received full support for rent and interior costs for two years, reducing fixed expenses and allowing him to focus more on investing in business items. This enabled CEO Kim to enter a growth stage where he could stand tall on his own. The number of employees increased from 2 to 10, and sales exceeded 750 million KRW. He often wonders if such growth would have been possible without this support.

CEO Kim said, "Officials from Dong-gu frequently called to ask if I needed anything, to the point of being bothersome," adding, "Thanks to their meticulous care, I gained courage and encouragement and achieved my own business accomplishments."

As such, the 'Vacant House Youth Startup Filling Project' in Dong-gu, Gwangju, is providing great support to young entrepreneurs who have ideas but feel stuck due to initial startup cost issues.

In the early stages of business, since there are few sales-generating factors, high rent becomes a significant barrier to startup challenges, but this project has alleviated that to some extent, allowing dreams to unfold, and the response has been enthusiastic.

According to Dong-gu on the 23rd, the district is conducting a project that partially supports young entrepreneurs in using idle spaces left unattended, focusing on Chungjang-ro 4 and 5-ga, the old downtown area with many vacant stores. It is said to be catching three rabbits at once: job creation, youth support, and revitalization of commercial districts.

Prospective young entrepreneurs under the age of 39 are selected and supported with a total of 35 million KRW over two years, including basic startup education, promotional marketing, and post-management. After document screening based on business plans, candidates undergo a second round of PT interview screening by a judging committee composed of startup-related professors.

From 2020 to this year, a total of 30 young entrepreneurs have been selected. Dong-gu first started this project in 2020 as a government public contest project. As the response grew positive not only among young entrepreneurs but also in the local community, the district allocated 307 million KRW from 2021 and converted it into an independent project.

After running the project for two years, the district expanded the budget to 370 million KRW starting last year and enlarged the project.

Lee Seon-mi, CEO of Funstory, is also cited as a representative success case. She started a one-person company three years ago and began theater services, actively operating to this day.

She has produced works such as the Dong-gu Gyerim-dong revitalization performance 'Bravo My Life,' the curriculum-linked character education children's play 'Tosuni's Candy Shop,' and the play 'I Was Hospitalized Alone,' setting a standard for healthy cultural consumption. She was selected as a preliminary social enterprise in December 2021 and is currently working to become a social enterprise this year.

In addition, ▲Artis (leather crafts) ▲Siru (figures) ▲Yangnim Greenhouse (flower shop) ▲S-Balloon (event balloons) ▲Moon Wrapping (gift wrapping) ▲Le Monde Beauty (beauty shop) ▲Mondri (craft product manufacturing) ▲Aroma Mood (perfume and cosmetics manufacturing) are also thriving.

A district official said, "We will do our best to create an environment where young entrepreneurs can grow through continuous education and mentoring, so that support does not end with simple cash assistance."