Seongnam City will develop "Dodam-gil," located behind the Moran central commercial district in Jungwon-gu, into an alley shopping district filled with distinctive youth-run stores, similar to Seoul's Seongsu-dong, the city said Tuesday.
Through its small shop youth startup support program, the city has supported a total of 45 startups since 2024 — 20 in the first year and 25 last year. This year, the city plans to designate 44 additional youth stores by year-end to develop the area into a youth-themed street.
To this end, the city is recruiting 44 youth startup teams to participate in the small shop startup support program through May 22.
Eligible applicants are Seongnam residents aged 19 to 39 who wish to start a business in Dodam-gil, or young entrepreneurs who have been in business for less than one year. Applications can be submitted by teams of one or two people.
The city will select youth startup teams for Dodam-gil based on step-by-step evaluations, including business plans and presentations, to identify those with startup capabilities and execution skills. Selected teams will receive up to 30 million won in commercialization funding along with startup consulting.
The city also plans to provide ongoing expert consulting after launch to help early-stage entrepreneurs settle in and to enhance the sustainability of the commercial district.
In addition, the city will build networks between existing and new entrepreneurs and pursue joint marketing efforts to strengthen collaboration at the district level. Through these efforts, the city aims to attract more visitors to the alley and boost store recognition.
"By intensively supporting youth startups in Dodam-gil for three consecutive years, we will increase store density and secure the self-sustaining capacity of the commercial district," Seongnam Mayor Shin Sang-jin said. "Beyond supporting individual startups, we expect Dodam-gil to grow into a regional brand commercial district like Seongsu-dong."
