2023.11.30
[Sharing Happiness] SK Materials' 'STAXX Project'
Attracts 10 social ventures to save Yeongju from extinction crisis and supports business
Promotes shrimp farm with goal of completion next year
Creates local specialty liquor in traditional market and connects producers and consumers of local specialties
Yeongju citizens are watching a performance at the 'Yeongju Urban Busking Festival 2023' held at the Yeongju Central Market in Gyeongbuk Province on the 28th of last month. Provided by SK Happy Narae
“Gyeongbuk Yeongju-si is inland, but it is a city optimized for ‘land aquaculture’ due to its convenient transportation.”
In Yeongju, one of the cities in Korea with a rapidly decreasing population, there is a startup that has thrown down the gauntlet to smart aquaculture. It is the Korea Fisheries Research & Development Institute (KOF), founded by CEO Kim Min-su, who majored in aquatic life medicine. CEO Kim started a shrimp aquaculture business on land after 20 years of thinking while working at the Fisheries Resources Research Institute and the Marine Resources Research Institute. He builds aquaculture farms on land to create water quality that is as similar to seawater as possible, and introduces cutting-edge technology to manage each stage of aquaculture, such as water quality purification, monitoring, and disease prevention. This smart aquaculture minimizes the uncertainty of aquaculture with more accurate, cutting-edge aquaculture methods based on specific data and artificial intelligence (AI) technology. CEO Kim explained on the 28th, “Land aquaculture has the advantage of not being exposed to marine pollution from seawater.”
● Promotion of construction of a state-of-the-art shrimp farm in Yeongju
KOF is one of the social ventures that SK Materials has attracted to revitalize Yeongju. A social venture is a company or organization that focuses on solving social problems while pursuing profits. SK Materials is carrying out a regional revitalization project called 'STAXX' in Yeongju, where its subsidiary SK Specialty (special gas manufacturing and sales) has a factory. It is based on the judgment that companies based here can operate properly only if Yeongju is alive. It is part of a social contribution activity to revitalize the city and grow together.
The population of Yeongju was 107,490 as of the end of last year. The population is in danger of falling below 100,000. The STAXX project aims to △revitalize the economy of the region, △attract external tourists, and △resolve the aging and hollowing out of the downtown area by discovering and fostering 10 social ventures.
KOF, which was looking for a suitable place to build a smart aqua farm, chose Yeongju. It is because it is easy to use the high-speed railway (KTX) and can be of help to Yeongju while receiving support from STAXX. KOF is pushing forward with the construction of a fish farm in Yeongju, aiming for completion next year. Once the fish farm is built, it plans to collaborate with nearby Punggi ginseng farms to procure raw feed ingredients. Ten employees will move to Yeongju to work there. Although small, it will also create a population influx effect.
Yeongju farmers were not initially welcoming of the fish farm. It is said that residents had a negative view due to concerns about water pollution and aversion to outsiders. CEO Kim said, “I personally visited the surrounding farmers and explained to them the stability of the smart aqua farm and how on-land aquaculture would help the local economy of Yeongju, and convinced them,” and emphasized, “There is no concern that polluted water from aquaculture will flow into the ocean.”
● A distillery specializing in the Yeongju region
There is also a social venture that is pushing to build a distillery in the Jungang Market, a traditional market in Yeongju. 'Liquor Square', which develops and sells Yeongju's local specialty liquor, has set a plan to build a distillery and turn it into a tourist attraction to increase the influx of outsiders. Liquor Square is a company created by the founders of a liquor company that created 'Gompyo Wheat Beer', which was very popular in Korea. At the end of last month, they held a music festival, 'Yeongju Urban Busking Festival 2023', to coincide with the opening of the distillery. About 400 Yeongju citizens participated and enjoyed the performance together. Jungang Market merchants also actively participated. Instead of admission tickets, visitors invested small amounts in a local mutual growth fund, and this money will be used by the company to reinvest in Jungang Market. Most of the social ventures selected for the STAXX project have a business structure that coexists with the region by collaborating with local farmers to reduce costs. 'El Ground' develops and operates a platform that connects local agricultural producers and consumers, thereby increasing farm income. 'Vineast' uses surplus agricultural products such as Yeongju apples to produce food and beverage products such as kombucha and yogurt, and 'Picky Child Company' runs a restaurant using Yeongju Korean beef. There is also 'Blank', which transformed an empty house in Yeongju into a high-quality residential space. SK Group, Gyeongbuk-do, and Yeongju-si support them in various fields such as marketing, purchasing, distribution, and infrastructure. SK Materials donated 5 billion won to create the 'Gyeongbuk Youth Love Dream ESG Fund' to help them grow. 'Happy Narae', a social enterprise established by SK, also supports them. Through the product competitiveness enhancement project implemented by Happy Narae this year, Vineast improved the previously conceived high-calorie fermented kombucha into a zero-calorie carbonated beverage style. The product name and design were also upgraded. 'Backpackers Planet', a company that develops and operates camping programs in Yeongju, also received management advice. As the STAXX project takes off, young entrepreneurs are flocking to Yeongju. In the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s regional youth entrepreneurship support project (Next Local), Yeongju ranked second among the 10 candidate cities preferred by entrepreneurs. Currently, four Next Local teams are operating in Yeongju. Yeongju was also selected as a city for the ‘2023 BETTER-RI (Ri) Demonstration Project’ hosted by the Korea Tourism Organization to solve the crisis of local extinction with innovative ideas from startups. Through this, eight startups selected by the organization are carrying out projects to revitalize tourism in Yeongju.
Reporter Choi Hoon-Jin
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2023.11.30
[Sharing Happiness] SK Materials' 'STAXX Project'
Attracts 10 social ventures to save Yeongju from extinction crisis and supports business
Promotes shrimp farm with goal of completion next year
Creates local specialty liquor in traditional market and connects producers and consumers of local specialties
Yeongju citizens are watching a performance at the 'Yeongju Urban Busking Festival 2023' held at the Yeongju Central Market in Gyeongbuk Province on the 28th of last month. Provided by SK Happy Narae
“Gyeongbuk Yeongju-si is inland, but it is a city optimized for ‘land aquaculture’ due to its convenient transportation.”
In Yeongju, one of the cities in Korea with a rapidly decreasing population, there is a startup that has thrown down the gauntlet to smart aquaculture. It is the Korea Fisheries Research & Development Institute (KOF), founded by CEO Kim Min-su, who majored in aquatic life medicine. CEO Kim started a shrimp aquaculture business on land after 20 years of thinking while working at the Fisheries Resources Research Institute and the Marine Resources Research Institute. He builds aquaculture farms on land to create water quality that is as similar to seawater as possible, and introduces cutting-edge technology to manage each stage of aquaculture, such as water quality purification, monitoring, and disease prevention. This smart aquaculture minimizes the uncertainty of aquaculture with more accurate, cutting-edge aquaculture methods based on specific data and artificial intelligence (AI) technology. CEO Kim explained on the 28th, “Land aquaculture has the advantage of not being exposed to marine pollution from seawater.”
● Promotion of construction of a state-of-the-art shrimp farm in Yeongju
KOF is one of the social ventures that SK Materials has attracted to revitalize Yeongju. A social venture is a company or organization that focuses on solving social problems while pursuing profits. SK Materials is carrying out a regional revitalization project called 'STAXX' in Yeongju, where its subsidiary SK Specialty (special gas manufacturing and sales) has a factory. It is based on the judgment that companies based here can operate properly only if Yeongju is alive. It is part of a social contribution activity to revitalize the city and grow together.
The population of Yeongju was 107,490 as of the end of last year. The population is in danger of falling below 100,000. The STAXX project aims to △revitalize the economy of the region, △attract external tourists, and △resolve the aging and hollowing out of the downtown area by discovering and fostering 10 social ventures.
KOF, which was looking for a suitable place to build a smart aqua farm, chose Yeongju. It is because it is easy to use the high-speed railway (KTX) and can be of help to Yeongju while receiving support from STAXX. KOF is pushing forward with the construction of a fish farm in Yeongju, aiming for completion next year. Once the fish farm is built, it plans to collaborate with nearby Punggi ginseng farms to procure raw feed ingredients. Ten employees will move to Yeongju to work there. Although small, it will also create a population influx effect.
Yeongju farmers were not initially welcoming of the fish farm. It is said that residents had a negative view due to concerns about water pollution and aversion to outsiders. CEO Kim said, “I personally visited the surrounding farmers and explained to them the stability of the smart aqua farm and how on-land aquaculture would help the local economy of Yeongju, and convinced them,” and emphasized, “There is no concern that polluted water from aquaculture will flow into the ocean.”
● A distillery specializing in the Yeongju region
There is also a social venture that is pushing to build a distillery in the Jungang Market, a traditional market in Yeongju. 'Liquor Square', which develops and sells Yeongju's local specialty liquor, has set a plan to build a distillery and turn it into a tourist attraction to increase the influx of outsiders. Liquor Square is a company created by the founders of a liquor company that created 'Gompyo Wheat Beer', which was very popular in Korea. At the end of last month, they held a music festival, 'Yeongju Urban Busking Festival 2023', to coincide with the opening of the distillery. About 400 Yeongju citizens participated and enjoyed the performance together. Jungang Market merchants also actively participated. Instead of admission tickets, visitors invested small amounts in a local mutual growth fund, and this money will be used by the company to reinvest in Jungang Market. Most of the social ventures selected for the STAXX project have a business structure that coexists with the region by collaborating with local farmers to reduce costs. 'El Ground' develops and operates a platform that connects local agricultural producers and consumers, thereby increasing farm income. 'Vineast' uses surplus agricultural products such as Yeongju apples to produce food and beverage products such as kombucha and yogurt, and 'Picky Child Company' runs a restaurant using Yeongju Korean beef. There is also 'Blank', which transformed an empty house in Yeongju into a high-quality residential space. SK Group, Gyeongbuk-do, and Yeongju-si support them in various fields such as marketing, purchasing, distribution, and infrastructure. SK Materials donated 5 billion won to create the 'Gyeongbuk Youth Love Dream ESG Fund' to help them grow. 'Happy Narae', a social enterprise established by SK, also supports them. Through the product competitiveness enhancement project implemented by Happy Narae this year, Vineast improved the previously conceived high-calorie fermented kombucha into a zero-calorie carbonated beverage style. The product name and design were also upgraded. 'Backpackers Planet', a company that develops and operates camping programs in Yeongju, also received management advice. As the STAXX project takes off, young entrepreneurs are flocking to Yeongju. In the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s regional youth entrepreneurship support project (Next Local), Yeongju ranked second among the 10 candidate cities preferred by entrepreneurs. Currently, four Next Local teams are operating in Yeongju. Yeongju was also selected as a city for the ‘2023 BETTER-RI (Ri) Demonstration Project’ hosted by the Korea Tourism Organization to solve the crisis of local extinction with innovative ideas from startups. Through this, eight startups selected by the organization are carrying out projects to revitalize tourism in Yeongju.
Reporter Choi Hoon-Jin
View the Full Article Text