A Crispy Fried Soboro in Neopjuk-i... "Limits of the No-Fun City Image"
As Seongsimdang, a local bakery in Daejeon, gains nationwide fame, government-funded research institutes within the Daejeon Daedeok Research and Development Special Zone are also actively engaging in promotional activities using Seongsimdang.
On the 22nd, according to research institutes in the Daedeok Research Complex, the KAIST brand shop recently released a new key holder featuring Neopjuki holding Seongsimdang’s signature product, fried soboro bread. The Neopjuki character is KAIST’s representative mascot with an oval-shaped face and expressionless eyes. The product description states, "Daejeon, where KAIST’s main campus is located, is also famous for Seongsimdang," and adds, "There is an endless line of customers from all over the country waiting to buy bread, but our Neopjuki is lucky enough to be holding some."
On the 13th, the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources uploaded content on its official YouTube channel titled "Besides Seongsimdang, Daejeon also has the Geological Museum." Using a photo of the Daejeon cityscape as the background, two cats were composited and made to appear as if they were having a conversation using a popular cat meme.
The yellow-striped cat asks, "I heard you went on a trip to Daejeon recently? Where did you go?" The dark brown-striped cat replies, "Seongsimdang... Seongsimdang Boutique... Seongsimdang DCC..." The video ends with the yellow cat delivering a punch in retaliation. This YouTube video has gained popularity, surpassing 1,000 views within a week of posting.
"Visit the Geological Museum" [Image source=Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources YouTube]
Seokmin Kwon, who was appointed director of the National Science Museum last month, recently told reporters, "Our goal is to remodel the science museum to create a representative attraction in Daejeon that surpasses Seongsimdang."
Daejeon, home to the Daedeok Research and Development Special Zone, has traditionally been recognized as a "science city," but recently, Seongsimdang has overshadowed the city brand to the extent that Daejeon is often called "Seongsimdang Daejeon." Promotional strategies leveraging this have become popular as attempts to break the stereotype that science is difficult and boring and to approach the public in a friendly manner.
However, the influx of tourists from across the country has sometimes led to unintended situations where the original purpose of the institutions is compromised. The Daedeok Research and Development Special Zone Promotion Foundation supports companies within the special zone nationwide, but customers visiting the nearby Seongsimdang DCC (Daejeon Convention Center) branch frequently crowd the foundation’s parking lot, requiring daily guidance for vehicle turnaround. As a result, since this year, a parking barrier has been installed at the entrance, and a signboard indicating the location of the Seongsimdang DCC branch parking lot has been erected.
Signboard for Seongsimdang Parking Lot in front of the Research and Development Special Zone Promotion Foundation [Image source=Yonhap News]
While Seongsimdang has contributed to widely promoting Daejeon’s city brand, there are also criticisms that, paradoxically, Daejeon is trapped in the image of a "no-fun city" with nothing but Seongsimdang.
According to Joo Hyejin, senior research fellow at the Daejeon Sejong Research Institute, in her book Why Did Daejeon Become a No-Fun City?, an analysis of navigation data over the past five years (2018?2022) shows that the most searched place in Daejeon was the Seongsimdang main store (412,364 searches). Daejeon O-World followed with 354,567 searches, and the Seongsimdang DCC branch ranked third with 240,574 searches.
Research fellow Joo suggested, "Since 2019, the Year of Visiting Daejeon, the algorithm spreading the meme ‘What should I do if an acquaintance is coming to Daejeon?’ has made the no-fun city meme very strong. To prevent visitors from only eating Seongsimdang bread and kalguksu and then leaving, there needs to be a thoughtful consideration of the region’s identity."
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