Minister Lee Young Visits Itaewon: "We Will Develop It into a Glocal Commercial Area"

Lee Young, Minister of SMEs and Startups.

Lee Young, Minister of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, visited the 'Itaewon Heritage Mansion' on the 2nd, a pop-up store and creative space where Itaewon merchants and creators collaborate to create a new local brand.

The Itaewon Heritage Mansion is a cultural complex pop-up that sensibly conveys the diverse cultures of Itaewon. Creators from various fields active around Itaewon showcase content reinterpreting fashion, food, pubs, music, and more with Itaewon merchants, themed around Itaewon's day and night, across three floors.

Centered on the main pop-up store, Itaewon Heritage Mansion, a total of eight locations host collaborative pop-ups between Itaewon merchants and creators. Neighborhood funding involving merchants and local residents, as well as busking by students from Seoul Institute of the Arts, will also take place.

The Itaewon Legacy pop-ups at eight different locations within Itaewon feature content created through collaboration between creators and merchants. A leaflet map indicating locations of merchants not participating in the pop-ups, discount coupons usable at each store, and keyrings reflecting each store's unique characteristics are also provided.

Minister Lee stated, "Through this project, we will discover new value in the Itaewon small business owners and commercial districts that have been hidden until now," adding, "We will grow the merchants into 'Lycons' and revitalize the commercial district as a glocal area by fusing culture and content to create new brands."