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Revitalizing the Neighborhood Economy – Busan City Launches New Recruitment for Alley Commercial District Revitalization Program

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The City of Busan (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that it is accepting applications for the 2025 Alley Commercial District Revitalization Program until April 21, targeting alley-based business communities with high potential to develop into key local commercial hubs.

Now in its fourth year, the two-phase program helps revitalize neighborhood economies by blending local culture with living-zone (15-minute city) planning, with a strong focus on community self-reliance and local branding.

For the first phase, five new alley business communities, each consisting of at least 30 local small business owners, will be selected and awarded KRW 25 million each in growth support.

This phase, known as the “Community Organization Support Project”, aims to gather businesses outside of the formal market system* and build their capacity for self-diagnosis and problem-solving. Support will include:

• ●Capacity building for merchants

• ●Local branding strategies

• ●Storytelling and history discovery

• ●Joint marketing

• ●Environmental improvements

• ●Promotion and outreach

* Outside the formal market system includes businesses not covered under:

• ●The Distribution Industry Development Act (e.g., large/semilarge stores)

• ●The Traditional Market Promotion Act (e.g., designated markets or revitalization zones)

For the 10 existing alley districts in years 2–3 of the program, financial support will be tiered based on evaluation results, and the top 2 districts will be selected as “Busan-Style Alley Support Zones” and receive up to KRW 100 million each for intensive support.

An expert committee will conduct evaluations in April, and the best-performing districts will receive targeted support to become leading models of commercial revitalization in Busan.

This project goes beyond simple environmental upgrades — it aims to establish sustainable, self-reliant alley business communities that embody local characteristics. To that end, alley business coordinators will be deployed to assist on-site with:

• ●Community formation

• ●Business consulting and advisory services

This is expected to boost participation and long-term viability among local merchants.

Additionally, Busan City plans to launch the University Student Alley Marketers Program in June. Approximately 230 university students (65 teams) will be paired one-on-one with local merchants to provide creative support in marketing and business planning, helping to improve operational conditions and increase revenue.

How to Apply:

• ●Eligible alley business communities must consist of 30 or more small businesses

• ●Applications are due by April 21, 6:00 PM, and can be submitted via:

• ○Online: www.bsbsc.kr

• ○Mail: 7th Floor, 52 Jagalchihaean-ro, Jung-gu, Busan

For more information, visit the support center website or contact the Busan Economic Promotion Agency at ☎ 1833-3665.

Kim Bong-cheol, Director of Busan’s Digital Economy Office, stated:

“Through this project, we hope to rediscover and revitalize alley markets that residents and visitors alike will want to return to.”
“Busan City will continue identifying unique neighborhood districts and laying the foundation for resilient, self-sustaining local economies.”

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[Appendix] 2025 Program Summary

Category	1st Phase (Years 1–3) – Community Organization	2nd Phase (Years 2–3) – “Busan-Style Alley Support Zone”
Focus	Network building, local brand discovery	Brand development, customized support, growth strategy
Support Scale	15 districts (5 new, 10 continuing)	2 top-rated districts
Funding	KRW 25M (new) / KRW 25M–100M (based on grade)	KRW 100M per district
Marketing Support	University student marketers (65 teams)	Matching with small business owners

Timeline:

• ●April: Selection of new districts and top performers

• ●April–November: Program implementation

• ●June–October: University marketer activities

• ●November–December: Final reports and outcome presentations