The Ministry of SMEs and Startups is launching a collaborative support program to nurture regional specialties into flagship products sought by consumers nationwide. The plan is to boost product competitiveness through collaboration among regional corporations and to uncover new regional economic models linked with tourism and hands-on experiences.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) said on the 22nd that it has finalized three projects to take part in the "collaborative regional everyday-economy revitalization pilot project."
The program supports regional corporations in developing joint products using specialized resources, strengthening design and branding, and pushing expansion into sales channels as well as links with tourism and experiences. Although they have excellent raw materials and products, there are limits to expanding the market with only the capabilities of individual corporations, so the goal is to nurture regional flagship products through inter-corporation collaboration and to build a new consumer base.
The selected regions are Boeun County in North Chungcheong, Jindo County in South Jeolla, and Gochang County in North Jeolla. Each region will receive a total of 430 million won, which will be used for product development, design and branding improvements, online and offline sales, and operating festivals and experience programs.
Boeun County will create camping products and travel products for visitors with dogs using regional foods such as jujubes and premium Korean beef, known as hanwoo. It plans to go beyond simply selling specialties and advance them into stay-type products that encourage visitors to remain in the area and spend.
Jindo County will bundle turmeric, gim (dried seaweed), and other seaweeds into a single regional flagship product to expand sales channels. It will improve packaging and promotional materials and pursue joint sales through online sales, department store special exhibitions, and regional festivals.
Gochang County will expand sweet potatoes into processed foods and experiential tourism products. It plans to link local farms and food corporations with high-traffic sales and experience spaces so that tourist spending translates into sales for regional corporations.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) will support design planning and brand strategy development for each project with design experts. It will help regional specialties grow into flagship products sought by consumers nationwide rather than remaining within the region, and it plans to support the spread of best practices to other regions with declining populations.