Gangwon Province, Wonju and Prom sign investment agreement at Munmak Bangye industrial complex
Wonju to create relocation settlement support program for incoming workers
Prom, a dairy company previously based in Goyang, will invest 10 billion won ($7.44 million) to relocate its production base to the Munmak Bangye General Industrial Complex in Wonju.
Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, Wonju and Prom signed an investment agreement Thursday at Wonju City Hall to move the company's dairy manufacturing factory to the city. Wonju Mayor Ku Ja-yeol, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Deputy Governor for Economic Affairs Shin Won-cheol and Prom CEO Choi Eun-kyung were among those in attendance.
The agreement calls for relocating Prom's existing production base from Goyang in Gyeonggi Province to Wonju. The move is seen as particularly significant because the company's existing workforce will also transfer along with the manufacturing facility — a rare case of a Greater Seoul company bringing both its operations and its employees to the region.
Prom's parent company, The First & Co., is a dairy import and retail specialist founded in 2015. Drawing on nearly a decade of overseas supply chain experience and retail expertise, it secured exclusive domestic import rights in 2023 for Mlekovita, a leading Polish dairy brand, and has since captured a 56 percent share of South Korea's UHT milk import market.
The First & Co. has also built a trading network with major domestic food service and retail companies — including Dongwon Home Food, Samsung Welstory and Hyundai Green Food — and posted annual sales of 34.5 billion won in 2025, demonstrating a stable business foundation and growth potential.
Prom was established to leverage its parent company's business capabilities and retail network, and is now pushing to expand beyond imports and distribution into manufacturing and sales as it seeks to grow into a full-scale dairy specialist.
The investment also aligns with the company's broader growth strategy of extending into manufacturing on the strength of its proven retail competitiveness.
To help relocating workers settle in the area, Wonju plans to create a new relocation settlement support program. The city will also provide tailored administrative assistance and work to resolve on-site business challenges from the factory's establishment through to full operation.
Regional connectivity is set to improve significantly, with plans underway to open the Buron interchange on the Yeongdong Expressway, build a double-track railway between Yeoju and Wonju, and extend the GTX-D line to Wonju. These infrastructure developments are expected to strengthen the company's logistics competitiveness and help attract talent.
Wonju Mayor Ku said he was deeply pleased to see Prom relocate its production base from Goyang to Wonju. "We have particularly high expectations given that a company with such a solid business foundation and retail competitiveness is expanding into manufacturing here," Ku said. "We hope this investment becomes a new leap forward for the company and leads to quality jobs and a more vibrant local economy for Wonju. The city will listen closely to what businesses need on the ground and spare no effort in providing the administrative support necessary for them to settle in stably and grow sustainably."
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