Seoul to bolster creative sector with new facilities and programs

Social Affairs

Published: 29 Nov. 2023, 18:54 Updated: 29 Nov. 2023, 19:46

Seoul to bolster creative sector with new facilities and programs

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on Wednesday speaks about the city government's grand vision to enhance the creative sectors during the SPP 2023, an annual event that offers networking opportunities for creative industry workers, held at Seoul Dragon City, central Seoul. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

Seoul aims to enhance its competitiveness by investing in creative industries, such as Esports and games, films, webtoons and extended reality (XR).

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on Wednesday unveiled his grand vision to enhance the creative sectors by constructing related facilities across the capital, supporting businesses and training talents.

“The capital’s economic vision is to build a robust foundation through finance businesses, improve city competitiveness through creative industries and become a globally attractive city,” Mayor Oh said during an annual event hosted by the city government’s Seoul Business Agency (SBA) called SPP 2023, held at Seoul Dragon City in Yongsan District, central Seoul.

Last year, Korea’s creative industry market sales recorded 1.48 billion won ($1.1 million), ranking seventh in the global market. The domestic market has been growing at 5 percent on average every year, according to the city government.

A total of six facilities will be constructed across the city to support people in five major creative businesses selected by the city government, which include XR, videos, media, webtoons, games and Esports.

A rendered image provided by the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Wednesday shows the so-called creative industry hub near Namsan, central Seoul, which will open in 2027 and serve as the headquarters of facilities for creative industries. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

According to the mayor, the headquarters of all upcoming creative industry facilities will be built in Namsan, central Seoul, by 2027.

The seven-story building will become the “hub” for all creative industries by operating investment programs in future unicorn companies and offering exhibit and screening spaces.

The city expects some 2,000 people will experience and learn about such businesses and develop 5,000 intellectual properties (IP) annually.

In the Digital Media City (DMC) of Sangam-dong, western Seoul, a center dedicated to developing films, dramas and webtoons will open in 2026. Writers and producers will be offered workspaces. Financial support will even be provided to creative workers at small- and mid-sized production companies.

The city plans to open an XR center in 2026. It will also build a 17-story building for game content and Esports by 2028, both in the DMC.

“We will host an Esports week every November where international competitions and networking events for businesses and investors will be held,” Oh said.

Games and Esports have recently emerged as significant creative businesses in the capital.

The final round of the 2023 League of Legends World Championship and fan festival that took place for four days in downtown Seoul attracted some 150,000 game fans, the city government said.

A rendered image provided by the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Wednesday shows the film center dedicated to supporting workers in the industry and holding screening sessions for visitors in Chungmuro, downtown Seoul. The facility will be opened in 2025. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

The capital will also support the film industry by opening a film center in Chungmuro, a district in central Seoul that was once the heart of the local film industry, in 2025. International film festivals will be held at the center throughout the year, offering investors and producers opportunities to meet.

The sixth center will be located in Mok-dong, western Seoul, focusing on helping new media businesses.

The city government has been investing in and enhancing such industries through different projects and events, including the Seoul Promotion Plan (SPP), an annual networking event for creative industry workers.

Buyers and sellers conduct business meetings at a hall in Seoul Dragon City, central Seoul, during the SPP 2023, a two-day event that kicked off on Wednesday to offer networking opportunities for those in the creative industries. [SEOUL BUSINESS AGENCY]

On Wednesday, hundreds of buyers and sellers in such industries gathered at Seoul Dragon City in downtown Seoul for the SPP 2023 event, conducting one-on-one business meetings, pitching their ideas to investors and attending seminars that shared the latest trends in different countries.

During a seminar on Wednesday, attendees could hear about the content markets in Singapore and France from business heads to strategically expand their businesses to the international market.

Jyotirmoy Saha, founder and director of August Media Holdings, one of the seminar's speakers, stressed the potential symbiosis of Singapore and Korea in the content market.

He also highlighted Singapore's international access to kid content markets, particularly in Asean countries, as one of the reasons for Korean businesses to target the market. The company distributes and creates content for kids and young viewers.

According to the SBA, some 1,000 participants have registered for the annual event. The two-day event will be held through Thursday.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]