Mungyeong Startups Launch Full-Scale Push into Metropolitan Market

Mungyeong City One-Person Creative Enterprise Support Center
Popup Store to Be Held at Lotte Department Store Yeongdeungpo Branch

Mungyeong City in North Gyeongsang Province has launched an initiative to target consumers in the Seoul metropolitan area in order to expand sales channels and enhance brand competitiveness for promising local startups.

Gyeongbuk Mungyeong City One-Person Creative Enterprise Support Center Operates Popup Store at Lotte Department Store Yeongdeungpo Branch.

The Mungyeong City One-Person Creative Enterprise Support Center, jointly operated by the Mungyeong Agricultural Technology Center (Director Kim Mija) and the Mungyeong University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation (Head Cho Seonguk), announced on July 11 that it will operate a special popup store featuring products from local startups at the Lotte Department Store Yeongdeungpo Branch from July 11 to July 17.

The popup store will be open for six days, excluding the department store's regular closure on July 14. As it is being held at the Lotte Department Store Yeongdeungpo Branch, a major consumer hub in the metropolitan area, it is expected to provide Mungyeong-based startups with practical opportunities to enter the distribution market.

The products on display and for sale include premium traditional Korean confectionery and health drinks made with the region's specialty omija, handmade pollack sashimi, tofu snacks, sword bean tofu, apple cider vinegar, and myeongi pesto. These creative products, which combine tradition and innovation, are being highlighted as examples of reinterpreting Mungyeong's unique food culture with a modern sensibility.

Alongside a free tasting event for consumers, customers who purchase more than 30,000 won worth of products will receive either tofu snacks or traditional Korean confectionery as a complimentary gift.

This type of promotion is expected to serve both as a marketing demonstration that allows for real-time feedback from visitors and as a platform for direct communication with metropolitan area consumers.

Cho Seonguk, head of the Mungyeong City One-Person Creative Enterprise Support Center, stated, "This popup store is more than just a sales space; it is a strategic touchpoint where Mungyeong startups can test their product competitiveness and marketability, and pursue further advancement based on feedback. Moving forward, together with Mungyeong City, we will continue to focus on securing distribution competitiveness and developing high value-added products within the local startup ecosystem."

Mungyeong City plans to continue providing tailored support for one-person creative enterprises and small business owners, as well as implementing programs that connect distribution, branding, and sales promotion, to ensure the sustainable growth of the local economy.

In particular, the city intends to discover high value-added startup models based on traditional resources and food culture, and to pursue various strategies for entering broader consumer markets, including the metropolitan area.