Seoul sees future in city's manufacturing sector

Kim Dasol with his book stand in his Seoul studio Korea Times photo by Kim Se-jeong

City government supports young entrepreneurs like Cho to keep its manufacturing industry alive

By Kim Se-jeong

Cho Dasol makes book stands from recycled plastic bottle caps.

His tiny studio in Seoul is where he melts and presses the caps into panels which are later connected to an aluminum panel to become the finished product.

The black pattern on the panel surface is what makes the product unique and is made from caps that come from Coca Cola bottles.

"I use black Coca Cola bottle caps to create this pattern, but the pattern isn't identical for each product because it depends on how they melt and mix in the heat," Cho said during a recent interview with The Korea Times.

It takes about 150 caps to make one panel and he has no problem getting enough supplies.

"When I started out last year, I went to apartment complexes in the neighborhood and asked for donations." Later, however, a local environmental group that was collecting plastic bottles started giving him the caps.

After the caps arrive in his studio, he sorts them by color and puts them in his stockpile.

Cho became inspired to make the book stands out of recycled bottle caps last year after he saw Korea's west coast bombarded with plastic waste.

"The situation was pretty bad. I was thinking how to integrate the waste plastic into my work and that's how the idea came about."

He is selling the book stands on a local crowdfunding website, www.tumblbug.com and sales are going extremely well with 160 orders.

Cho said this was a pleasant surprise. "I am happy that so many people have shown interest in the product."

The success is in part thanks to the Seoul Metropolitan Government which helped with promotion.

Seoul has a great interest in supporting young local manufacturers like Cho and spares no effort for it.

Cho bought melting and pressing devices from firms in Euljiro and Munrae-dong, and taught himself how to operate them. When necessary, he makes his own devices as well.

That makes Cho and other local artists and entrepreneurs important for the city government because they hopes them to carry on the inner-city manufacturing sector that is getting wiped out. And the city is putting efforts into finding and nurturing the next-generation manufacturers.

The city is currently supporting 14 young entrepreneurs on crowdfunding sites, the same as last year. Others make candles that play music when lit, a cassette-style MP3 player and a metal cup designed to serve traditional Korean drinks.

As increasing land prices and urbanization in Seoul have been wiping out factories and forcing old craftsmen from their workplaces, finding ways to keep industries and tradition is becoming critical for the city government.

The Sewoon Arcade, located in Euljiro, is one such place where old manufacturing was going extinct as business owners were being forced out.

Besides supporting young trainees, the city government is implementing a wide range of measures to keep Sewoon Aarcade alive.

It is currently renovating the arcade's seven shopping center buildings along a 1 kilometer span in order to make them pleasant to visit and perhaps stay around. The renovation of three buildings has been completed and additional work is under way. The city has also created spaces to rent below the market price which has drawn in local artists.

Under the city government's plan, all seven buildings will be connected through a roof-top walking path for visitors.

Seoul also wants to build a community of long-term business owners and young newcomers of artists and young trainees to foster communication and cooperation.

History of Sewoon Arcade

The Sewoon Arcade was built on land spared for anti-aircraft weapons deployed by the Japanese military during the colonial period.

After independence, the land drew the homeless and prostitutes who built make-shift shelters on the site.

Opened in the late 1960s, the Sewoon Arcade became a popular destination in the city ― famous architect Kim Swoo-geun designed the buildings.

People dropped by to buy high-tech electronic appliances; and it had the city's most popular music record shops drawing thousands of young artists and music fans from across the country. According to a booklet on Sewoon Arcade published by the city government, it was No.1 tourism destination in the capital back then.

Also, according to the booklet, Pony, the name of the first made-in-Korea car, was first invented in a shop in the arcade.

The shops in the arcade and in the area also ran the city's printing industry as 67 percent of the capital's printing shops were located there.

The upper parts of the buildings had upscale residential apartments, a hotel, gym and indoor golf club serving the interests of the wealthy in the city.

Sewoon enjoyed its heyday until the end of the 1970s.

As the city expanded south of the Han River, the arcade began losing its prime recognition. New high rises began popping up in Gangnam. Electronics shops moved to the current location in Yongsan. The rise of Myeongdong with new department stores and hotels also took away Sewoon's fame.

In the 1990s, small businesses had to compete with cheap goods from China and the "IMF financial crisis" in 1998 hit them hard.

Sewoon was no longer wanted. It was left abandoned for the next few decades to come. In 2014, the city government announced it would shed new light on the area.

They chose to keep all the buildings, instead of demolishing them. According to a city government official, the fact that these building were designed by Kim was a factor in this.

The official said the city's overall efforts during the last six years have been successful.

"One indicator of success is that the number of people who visit the Sewoon Arcade has tripled since the renovation began," he said.

Opened in the late 1960s, the Sewoon Arcade became a popular destination in the city ― famous architect Kim Swoo-geun designed the buildings. Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government