Following the successful acquisition of 14.6 billion won (including national government funds) in this year’s Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) Regional Commercial District Revitalization Project, Gyeongsangbuk-do is already gearing up for the 2027 open competition.

On the 30th, Gyeongsangbuk-do hosted the "2027 Regional Commercial District Revitalization Public Contest Strategy Meeting for Cities and Counties" at the Hwangchon Village Vitality Center in Gyeongju. The meeting brought together 45 participants, including provincial and municipal officials in charge of commercial districts and local commercial planners.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups will drive the 2027 Regional Commercial District Revitalization Project across six categories. New programs include the "Local Startup Studio," "NEXT Commercial District," and "Alleyway Commercial District Foundation Project."

The Local Startup Studio utilizes vacant stores and idle spaces as clustered facilities for local startup businesses, while the NEXT Commercial District supports the discovery of promising new commercial areas. The Alleyway Commercial District Foundation Project focuses on strengthening the capabilities of merchant organizations. Meanwhile, "Glocal Commercial Districts," "Local Theme Commercial Districts," and "Promising Alleyway Commercial Districts" will continue to be promoted, following last year.

During the meeting, attendees discussed response strategies for the 2027 public contest, the project plan for Gyeongju's Hwangnidan-gil, and the performance of the Geumridan-gil Renaissance project. Participants also visited Hwangnidan-gil and Geumridan-gil to examine successful cases of commercial revitalization—such as specialized street creation, brand marketing, and the utilization of vacant stores—and explored ways to apply these strategies to their respective regions.

In this year’s public contest, Gyeongju’s Hwangnidan-gil and Yeongju’s Mun-eo 1955 commercial districts were selected as Glocal Commercial Districts in recognition of their global tourism potential. Additionally, Pohang's Guryongpo Market was chosen as a Local Theme Commercial District offering regional culinary and cultural experiences, while Pohang’s Ssangsa Commercial District and others were selected as Promising Alleyway Commercial Districts.

Building on these project achievements and regional characteristics, Gyeongsangbuk-do plans to discover promising commercial districts to participate in the 2027 MSS contest, driving both regional commercial revitalization and the securement of national funds.

"Regional economies thrive only when local commercial districts come alive," said Kim Mi-jung, Head of the People's Livelihood Economy Division at Gyeongsangbuk-do. "We will make every effort to discover competitive commercial districts early by region, provide tailored support, and secure national funding to revitalize our local economies."

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