Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport minister's prize at 2026 Korea Urban and Regional Innovation Industry Expo
Facility links local culture, tourism and youth employment to revitalize city center
Kkumdori House, the flagship facility of the Daejeon Station Village D-Project urban regeneration initiative, has earned national recognition for its work in creating local jobs and revitalizing the city's old downtown.
Daejeon city won the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport minister's award in the job creation category at the 2026 Korea Urban and Regional Innovation Industry Expo, held Wednesday at OSCO in Cheongju.
The award recognized Kkumdori House — a local culture and tourism hub at the heart of the Daejeon Station Village D-Project — for linking local cultural resources, tourism and youth employment to bring new vitality to the old city center and lay the groundwork for community cooperation.
Located in Jungdong, Dong-gu, the urban regeneration facility drew about 276,000 visitors in 2025 and generated approximately 378 million won ($278,000) in sales over 18 months.
Products from local small businesses and young entrepreneurs accounted for 56.5 percent of sales. The facility has also supported youth employment and self-sufficiency through a herbal foot-bath spa and café operated in partnership with a youth self-reliance program, as well as sales of walnut-shaped pastries.
Building on the award, Daejeon city plans to strengthen its post-project management and monitoring systems after the seed-funding phase ends, and to press ahead with revitalizing the old downtown commercial district and attracting young residents — including through the development of rental-based cooperative retail spaces.
"This minister's award recognizes the excellence of Daejeon's urban regeneration model, which has injected new energy into a declining old downtown by combining tourism with youth employment," a city official said. "We will continue to build a self-sustaining urban regeneration ecosystem where local small business owners and young people can grow together."
kwonhl@heraldcorp.com
