Gangjin County is recruiting young merchants, prospective entrepreneurs, local creators, and young creators to grow alongside the autonomous commercial district, revitalize the local business community, and build a stronger youth entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Through the “Connect with Young Merchants 2026!” initiative, Gangjin County will identify young entrepreneurs who are preparing to launch a business or operating an early-stage business within the Gangjin-eup Autonomous Commercial District. The program will provide customized, step-by-step support ranging from startup assistance to local brand content development and AI content creation. The initiative is designed to bring new ideas and content into the local commercial district, creating a foundation for young people to start businesses and establish themselves in the community.
Eligible applicants are entrepreneurs under age 45 who plan to start a business within the Gangjin-eup Autonomous Commercial District or have been in business for no more than three years. Applications will be accepted from July 21 to August 20, 2026, and five participants will be selected through document screening and interviews. Required documents include an application form, business plan, consent form for the collection and use of personal information, and certificates confirming full payment of national and local taxes.
The initiative goes beyond simply recruiting young entrepreneurs. It focuses on developing viable youth-led business models that can be commercialized within the local business district. Small and midsized regional cities face the dual challenges of youth population outflow and declining commercial districts. A commercial structure centered solely on existing stores can struggle to attract new consumer groups. Young entrepreneurs also often have difficulty establishing stable operations because of high initial startup costs, limited marketing capabilities, challenges in building a brand, and a lack of local networks. Gangjin County plans to address these issues through an integrated support model combining entrepreneurship education, consulting, brand content development, and AI training.
The support program consists of three components. The first is “Connect.1: Startup Support for Young Merchants.” It provides practical entrepreneurship training, including customized consulting with startup experts, capacity-building education, and site-visit training. The program also supports participant networking so that young entrepreneurs can share information and grow together within the community rather than operating in isolation. For a young entrepreneur to move from a business idea to operating a physical store or commercializing a product, factors such as market potential, target customers, pricing, location, operating methods, and promotional strategies must be reviewed together. This makes field-oriented consulting particularly important.
The second component is “Connect.2: Local Brand Content Development Support.” This program focuses on building brands that use local resources. It helps young entrepreneurs organize their products and services into cohesive brands through support for developing promotional corporate identity and brand identity materials, or CI and BI, operating locally connected programs, and conducting social media marketing. Consumers today do not simply purchase products. They also engage with the story of the region, the founder’s philosophy, the atmosphere of the space, and the process through which the product is created. Local branding is therefore no longer optional for young entrepreneurs but a key element in securing competitiveness.
Gangjin has significant potential to combine its historical and cultural assets, tourism resources, local specialties, and neighborhood commercial areas. If young merchants and local creators reinterpret these resources as new products, services, spaces, experiences, and content, the Gangjin-eup Autonomous Commercial District could expand beyond a place of consumption into an entrepreneurial platform that conveys the area’s distinctive stories. This is also why local brand content development is a major area of support under the initiative.
The third component is “Connect.3: AI Content Creation Support.” This program helps young entrepreneurs use generative artificial intelligence and digital branding as practical business tools. Through digital branding education using AI content, content production support, and assistance with participation in local festivals and commercial district events, young entrepreneurs will be able to create product promotions, social media posts, visual information cards, short-form video concepts, brand stories, and event content more efficiently.
AI content creation support is particularly valuable for early-stage entrepreneurs. During the initial startup phase, it can be difficult to invest sufficient funds in design, photography, video production, promotional copywriting, and social media management. Appropriate use of AI tools can reduce the burden of defining a brand concept, producing promotional copy, and planning content for customers. The key is not to use AI solely as an automated generation tool, but as a content creation tool that reflects Gangjin’s local identity and each entrepreneur’s individuality.
Applications may be submitted in person or online. In-person applications will be accepted by the Gangjin-eup Autonomous Commercial District Cooperative at Room 3, 2nd Floor, 19 Sijang-gil, Gangjin-eup, Gangjin-gun, Jeollanam-do. Online applications may be submitted by email. Inquiries about the program may be directed to Purple Namu Co., Ltd., the implementing company, or the Gangjin-eup Autonomous Commercial District Cooperative, the commissioning organization.
The initiative is being jointly implemented by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, South Jeolla Province, Gangjin County, and the Gangjin-eup Autonomous Commercial District Cooperative. Gangjin County plans to go beyond recruitment by linking education, consulting, brand development, content creation, and participation in commercial district events so that entrepreneurs can achieve tangible growth within the local business community.
“Connect with Young Merchants 2026!” is particularly meaningful because it connects young entrepreneurs with the local commercial district. Young entrepreneurs can use local resources to create new business opportunities, while the commercial district can develop new customer touchpoints through young people’s perspectives and digital content. Attention is now focused on whether Gangjin County can use the initiative to improve the prospects for young entrepreneurs to establish themselves locally and create a mutually beneficial startup model that strengthens the competitiveness of the autonomous commercial district.