Sejong Special Self-Governing City (Mayor Cho Sang-ho) announced on the 14th that it held a launch event alongside Hongik University for the youth entrepreneurship and experimentation space established as part of the "2026 Geumnam Daepyeong Market Value Recovery Living Lab" at Geumnam Daepyeong Market.

This launch event was organized to celebrate the opening of the entrepreneurship and experimentation space for Hongik University students, showcase ideas and project results discovered on-site, and signal new changes in Geumnam Daepyeong Market through cooperation between the university and the local community.

Attendees at the launch event included Mayor Cho Sang-ho and Kim Hee-san, Vice President of Hongik University (and Head of the Anchor Project Group), who toured the youth entrepreneurship space and students' project outcomes, encouraging the participating college students in their endeavors.

The Geumnam Daepyeong Market Value Recovery Living Lab is an anchor project that combines the university's expertise and youth's creative capabilities with the local commercial district.

From August through December, Hongik University has been running practical education courses within its Department of Design Convergence and School of Architecture, where students directly identify on-site problems in Geumnam Daepyeong Market and seek out solutions.

Through this initiative, two spaces were created within vacant storefronts: a youth entrepreneurship space selling items like healthy sandwiches and snacks, and a living lab activity space. Additionally, a flea market featuring 10 local creator teams is being operated in the market through the 16th.

Furthermore, students reinterpreted the market's history and unique value through modern design to develop "Daepyeong-i," the market's representative symbol, while also producing information facilities and custom signboards reflecting the characteristics of individual stores.

In addition, the city and Hongik University will launch the "Lunch at Geumnam Daepyeong Market" campaign every Friday from the 16th to the 30th. In November, they will exhibit the project results at City Hall and host a living lab forum under the theme of "The Future of Traditional Markets" to explore sustainable commercial district development plans.

Alongside this, participating students plan to produce short-form promotional videos for each store in collaboration with market merchants.

The city plans to administratively support the university's on-site activities so they lead to tangible local changes, while linking programs that promote citizen visits and consumption to spread the project's effects across the entire commercial district.

Mayor Cho Sang-ho stated, "The knowledge learned at the university and the fresh ideas of the youth are opening up new possibilities for the region," adding, "We expect these challenges to add vitality to the market and serve as an opportunity for young people to stay and grow in the region."

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