Seulsekwon! It refers to a residential area where you can use various leisure and convenience facilities in comfortable clothes wearing slippers. The advantages of Seulsegwon are that there is an alley market where you can stop by and exchange warm greetings and buy delicious food, a pharmacy near your house where you can rush when you are sick, and a cafe where you can drink extra iced Americano even late at night.
What is the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Business Revitalization Project?
The Seoul Metropolitan Government is conducting a “living commercial zone revitalization project” to revitalize the alley commercial district where people can feel the affection. The term “living commercial area” is a commercial area located within 10 minutes on foot from subway stations, schools, and community centers. To put it simply, it is within the radius of life, so it can be seen as a commercial district of Seulsegwon, which can be used as a comfortable costume wearing slippers.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government’s business revitalization project aims to revitalize the local economy as well as revitalize the commercial district by closely communicating with residents and merchants. Various programs and models are being created based on the participation of local residents.
Residents and merchants are taking the lead in reviving the alley business district by creating “hand-made stores,” “Eoulim stores” (community stores), “our neighbors,” and “together stores.” It also provides education such as marketing study groups, marketing online schools, and fostering local leaders.
More than 16 living commercial districts are currently designated for the project to revitalize the living commercial district, which began in 2019. Among them, I went to Eoulim Store with Sonsu Store in the warm and affectionate “Nangok Living Commercial Area (24th and 26th Street, Nangok-ro, Gwanak-gu).”
Handmade store refers to a store that uses main ingredients as our agricultural product and makes it by hand with its own secret recipe. It is flavored with natural ingredients without using artificial seasoning. It refers to a restaurant in our neighborhood that catches two rabbits with healthy nutrition and taste discovered by the villagers themselves.
Sonsu Store Residents’ Planning Team discovers and promotes Sonsu Store, and selects two additional locations every year. It is a place discovered by residents, so you can trust and eat it. In fact, it is said that residents and merchants are satisfied as sales are increasing in selected places as hand-made stores.
Five handmade stores are currently designated in the Nangok Living Commercial Area. It is “Nangok Mountain Village,” “Bareun Tteok,” “Bread House,” “Busan Restaurant,” and “Dongolak,” and two more will be selected this year. The main menu is “Nangoksanjang” is oriental ginseng chicken soup and oriental duck baeksuk, “Bareuntteok” is Barun Seolgi and Jeongjeongjeolpyeon, “Bread House” is rice bread and rice castella, “Busan Restaurant” is sundaeguk and Sonmandu, and “Dongolak” is raw pork belly and pork kimchi stew.
Among them, Busan Restaurant has been run by its mother for 46 years, with the joining of its cartoonist son and fairy tale writer daughter-in-law. I developed handmade dumplings myself, but kimchi dumplings and meat dumplings are full and not greasy, so they are popular. It is said that the secret of taste is to do your best with the thought of eating by your family. The mother says, “I hope it will be a fun restaurant that draws and displays a lot of interesting paintings using the talent of my son, who is a cartoonist, and draws and teaches pictures such as portraits of customers when he is not busy.”