Goyang City in Gyeonggi Province is moving forward with establishing an industrial hub linked to existing content infrastructure including the Broadcasting & Video Valley and KINTEX.
According to Goyang City on the 4th, the city held a groundbreaking ceremony for the "IP Convergence Content Cluster" in Daehwa-dong, Ilsanseo-gu the previous day, officially launching construction. With a total project cost of 28.6 billion won, the facility will span one basement level to four above-ground floors with a gross floor area of 5,198 square meters, targeting completion in the second half of next year.
The cluster is a complex facility supporting the entire process from creation to production, commercialization, and distribution based on intellectual property (IP) in webtoons, broadcasting and video, and gaming. Floors one and two will house exhibition and experience spaces along with content merchandise stores, the third floor will contain creation and R&D spaces, and the fourth floor will feature corporate offices and a business lounge.
The city plans to consolidate its content industry foundation by leveraging its geographical advantage of having broadcasters such as EBS, JTBC, and MBN, as well as the Broadcasting & Video Valley, Ilsan Techno Valley, and KINTEX concentrated in the area. The strategy aims to respond to the convergence ecosystem shift where a single IP expands from dramas to games, metaverse applications, and merchandise.
Since 2022, the city has been preparing operational foundations through preliminary projects in partnership with the Goyang Industry Promotion Agency. Last year, it provided 930 million won to 13 companies, discovering 13 convergence content IPs and securing 27 copyrights including three patents. This year, support continues with 1 billion won allocated to 13 companies.
The project was initiated after Gyeonggi Province was selected as a regional project site in the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's 2021 open call, followed by a city and county-level competition in which Goyang City was confirmed as the final location.
Goyang Mayor Lee Dong-hwan said, "I hope the groundbreaking of this cluster marks the starting point for Goyang City's leap forward, with the content industry as a core growth driver for the future."