On the 30th, Daejeon City announced that it won the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) Award in the job creation category of the Urban and Regional Innovation Awards at the '2026 Korea Urban and Regional Innovation Industry Expo' held at Cheongju OSCO.

This award recognizes the high evaluation of 'Kkumdori House,' the regional cultural tourism hub and a core facility of the Daejeon Station Village D-Project promoted by Daejeon City. The facility successfully revitalized the old downtown area and established a foundation for regional coexistence by linking local cultural resources, tourism, and youth employment.

Located in Jung-dong, Dong-gu, Kkumdori House is an urban regeneration hub facility that recorded approximately 276,000 annual visitors and achieved around 378 million won in sales over 18 months as of 2025.

In addition, sales of products by local small business owners and youths account for 56.5% of the total. The facility also contributes to creating youth jobs and building a foundation for self-reliance through collaborations with a youth self-sufficiency business group to operate an herbal foot bath and cafe, as well as selling walnut pastries.

Building on this award, Daejeon City plans to strengthen sustainable post-management and monitoring systems even after the initial seed-money project concludes. The city also aims to continuously drive revitalization in the old downtown commercial district and attract young people through the creation of lease-type win-win cooperative shopping spaces.

A Daejeon City official stated, "This Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Award is a recognition of the excellence of the Daejeon-style urban regeneration model, which breathed new life into a declining old downtown space by combining tourism and youth jobs. We will continue to solidify a self-sustaining urban regeneration ecosystem where local small business owners and youths grow together."

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