Seoul will use the industrial and specific development promotion district system to restructure strategic industries around advanced sectors and strengthen the city's competitiveness.
Seoul said on the 22nd that it held the first urban planning committee meeting the previous day and approved as originally drafted the decision (change) plan on urban management for designating the Yangjae-Gaepo ICT (information and communications technology) and Seongsu cultural content development promotion districts.
The industrial and specific development promotion district (hereinafter promotion district) is a system introduced in 2007 to systematically foster industries clustered by region. Regardless of the central government's special zone system and the Seoul metropolitan area regulations, Seoul can directly designate and support strategic industries.
This time, the Yangjae-Gaepo ICT specific development promotion district was newly designated. It is the first case designated as a promotion district through a joint initiative by the Yangjae ICT promotion district, the hinterland of the Yangjae AI future convergence innovation special zone, and the Gaepo ICT promotion district, which led the venture boom in the 2000s as "Poe Valley."
The Seongsu IT (information technology) and cultural content industry and distribution development promotion district was expanded to the entire quasi-industrial area, and "cultural content industry" was added as a recommended business type. As design, media and fashion corporations have increased around Ttukseom–Seongsu Station, the project can now move forward to expand the local industrial ecosystem by combining the cultural content industry with the existing IT industry.
According to Seoul, over the past 18 years the promotion district system has been pushed forward mainly as a policy to protect urban manufacturing. It fostered the Jongno precious metals, Mapo design and publishing, Myeonmok fashion and sewing, Dongdaemun traditional medicine, and Seongsu IT promotion districts.
Starting with the operation of the Yeouido finance promotion district in 2023, it began preparing for changes in the industrial structure, and last year it selected candidate sites for the Yongsan artificial intelligence (AI) and ICT and Suseo robotics promotion districts.
It also approved the establishment of the Gwanak R&D venture startup specific development promotion plan, enabling the first promotion district fostering project in the southwest area from this year.
Seoul said, "With this resolution, the groundwork has been laid to reorganize Seoul's regional industrial structure," adding, "Centered on key industries, the city's industrial cluster structure will be reorganized more systematically."
To evaluate past results and explore future policy directions, Seoul is conducting a fact-finding survey of six promotion districts currently in operation. Based on the findings, it plans to commission policy research and prepare directions for system reform within the first half of the year.
Lee Su-yeon, head of Seoul's economic affairs office, said, "The promotion district system is a policy tool that can promote balanced development between Gangnam and Gangbuk by intensively fostering promising industries in areas with high growth potential in Seoul," adding, "We will actively support each district's specialized industries so they can grow and further strengthen Seoul's industrial competitiveness."