Up to 90% Discounted Housing for Industrial Complex Workers... Cafes and Convenience Stores to Open

Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
Joint Announcement of Industrial Complex Development Plan Incorporating Culture

Incheon Namdong Industrial Complex Panorama

In the future, sports facilities will be established on idle land within industrial complexes, and cultural facilities such as cafes and convenience stores will be allowed to move into factories. The cultural and sports facilities of tenant companies will be opened for use by local residents. The government plans to select 10 cultural convergence industrial complexes by 2027 and provide focused support to transform industrial complexes into attractive spaces for young people.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport jointly announced the "Plan for Creating Industrial Complexes with Culture" at the Economic Ministers' Meeting held on the morning of the 12th.

This plan was prepared as a follow-up measure to the directive given by President Yoon Suk-yeol at the Gyeongnam Province public discussion in February to create "industrial complexes where young people want to live and that are rich in culture." After the presidential directive, the three ministries immediately formed an inter-ministerial joint task force (TF), conducted site visits, gathered expert opinions, and held meetings with companies to establish this plan.

In the plan announced that day, the government decided to start by designating three industrial complexes as "cultural convergence leading complexes" next year and select a total of 10 leading complexes by 2027, actively supporting 13 government projects.

For the leading complexes, an integrated brand tailored to their characteristics will first be established, and landmarks such as an industrial "larchiveum"?which combines functions of a library, archive, and museum?and corporate experience centers will be built and used as cultural hubs.

Efforts will also be made to expand cultural and convenience facilities within the complexes and improve the landscape to recreate everyday spaces in the complexes as cultural spaces. To this end, institutional reforms will be pursued, including revising the industrial complex location system to expand cultural and sports facilities as well as dining and cafe facilities, selling public sports facility land at cost price, and allowing cafes and convenience stores to be installed in factory auxiliary facilities.

In addition to significantly increasing the budget for improving the interior and exterior of small, aging factories, the government will select "Beautiful Factories" nationwide every year, granting special benefits to encourage voluntary private efforts to improve the landscape. Projects will be promoted such as improving nighttime scenery in industrial complexes, installing sculptures and media art, introducing public design, and constructing youth culture centers. Initiatives like the "1,000 Won Daily Culture Ticket" project, "Culture Delivery to Every Corner" project, industrial complex culture weeks, activation of festivals by complex, and turning complexes into tourism assets will also be carried out.

Support for housing and transportation will also be provided, including offering rental housing to industrial complex workers at 35?90% below market price and supporting carpooling and shared taxi use within the complexes.

Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Ahn Deok-geun said, "In the past, industrial complexes played the role of the heart of Korean manufacturing, but they are now avoided by young people due to their gray, old image and lack of cultural and convenience facilities and content. Securing young talent in industrial complexes is a key task for the future of manufacturing, so through this plan, which includes both financial projects and institutional reforms, we will transform industrial complexes into attractive spaces sought by young people."

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yoo In-chon said, "We will actively support the integration of culture into industrial complexes and provide diverse cultural and artistic programs with the complexes' unique colors to make them local attractions visited by residents, youth, and tourists."

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Park Sang-woo said, "We will provide multifaceted support to ensure that culture is incorporated from the planning stage beyond just supplying land for newly developed industrial complexes."