Ministry of Culture's Traditional Culture Startup Contest '105 Million Won Support Over 3 Years'

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, together with the Korea Craft & Design Foundation (KCDF), is calling for traditional culture startup companies to participate in the '2025 Oneuljeontong Startup Support Project' through the KCDF website until April 18. Through this call, a total of 36 companies will be selected, including 31 companies for the 'Oneuljeontong Youth Early Startup Companies 6th Cohort' and 5 companies for the 'Oneuljeontong Startup Leap Companies 2nd Cohort.'

The 'Oneuljeontong Youth Early Startup Companies' support project is a startup support program that discovers promising young startups in traditional culture, aiming to expand young entrepreneurs' entry into the industry and promote company growth. Starting with the 1st cohort in 2020, it has now reached its 6th cohort this year. Anyone who is a representative operating a startup company in the traditional culture industry with less than 3 years of business experience and is under 39 years old as of the announcement date (under 49 years old for technology startups) can apply. This year’s call is divided into two areas: 'Product Development,' focusing on design development and product mass production, and 'Market Expansion,' focusing on attracting investment and expanding distribution channels. Selected companies will receive customized incubation from startup planners (accelerators) and up to 105 million KRW in commercialization funds over a maximum of 3 years.

Started in 2024 and now in its 2nd cohort, the 'Oneuljeontong Startup Leap Companies' support project assists the growth, leap, and expansion into the global market of traditional culture industry startups. Five companies with business experience exceeding 3 years but less than or equal to 7 years will be newly selected. Commercialization funds of up to 100 million KRW over 2 years (50 million KRW in the first year + 50 million KRW in the second year) will be provided. In the first year, an incubation program focused on developing distribution channels and attracting follow-up investments will be operated, and in the second year, three outstanding companies from the first year will be selected to receive additional commercialization funds and opportunities to participate in overseas exhibitions for global market entry. Additionally, promotional and marketing support such as entrepreneur exchange events (Networking Day) and distribution and investment consultations will be provided.

The 'Youth Early Startup Companies' support project has discovered and nurtured over 120 promising young startups over the past five years. The three-year survival rate of supported companies to date is a high 84.7%, and some companies have more than doubled their sales compared to before receiving support.

Last year’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister’s Award winner, The Barun Company Inc., planned 'non-hardening rice cakes' and is expanding its market not only domestically but also overseas to the United States, Canada, Singapore, and more. Pound Corporation (1st cohort) with its domestic production incense stick brand 'Allot,' as well as EduCulture (5th cohort) with its traditional Korean musical instrument education service 'Ullim Gugak,' are also showing positive market responses and growing.

The 'Startup Leap Companies' support project selected and nurtured 10 companies in its 1st cohort last year. Representative outstanding companies include Art Sumbi Co., Ltd., which creates art educational tools based on traditional heritage, and The Capsule Co., Ltd., which proposes a new form of living space by producing one-person capsule hotels and cabins incorporating traditional patterns. Mujagi, which develops the beauty of traditional ceramics with a modern design sensibility to expand the new concept of the daily ceramics market, is experiencing significant sales growth thanks to strong support from younger generations.

Lee Haedon, Director of Cultural Policy at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated, "'The Oneuljeontong Startup Support Project' is a program that supports innovative startups by adding a modern sensibility of the younger generation to traditional culture so that they can grow. We will spare no policy support to ensure that various business ideas can be successfully realized based on the strong interest of young entrepreneurs in the traditional culture field."