Beauty and Communication

President Park Geun-hye listens to Daum Kakao board Chairman Kim Bum-soo’s explanation about how to support traditional markets based on information and communications technology at Jeju Island on June 26.
President Park Geun-hye listens to Daum Kakao board Chairman Kim Bum-soo’s explanation about how to support traditional markets based on information and communications technology at Jeju Island on June 26.

 

Daum Kakao and Amore Pacific will jointly operate Creative Economy innovation Centers in Jeju Island in a bid to facilitate the President Park Geun-hye administration's flagship poicy of the “Creative Economy.”

Daum Kakao is planning to work more closely with the Jeju Creative Economy Innovation Center, which was opened in Jeju City on June 26, so as to turn the island into a Northeast Asian startup hub.

In this context, the company set up the Human Library for idea sharing in the region. Approximately 100 residents participate in the project this year, and the number is expected to be increased to 250 next year.

At the same time, exchange programs such as startup forums are launched so they can form networks of human resources, while Daum Kakao’s own networks are used for joint content development with leading startup incubators in Northeast Asia like Tencent, Global Brain, and Appota. A special zone is arranged so that foreigners can start their businesses and produce prototypes in Jeju, and tools are provided for the planning of products such as webtoons, animations, and mobile applications, too.

Daum Kakao is also going to focus on adding smart technology to the tourism industry of Jeju as well. The profitability of the industry is deteriorating these days due to excessive competition, although more than 12 million tourists visited the island last year, which is a 60 percent increase from a year ago.

Specifically, Daum Kakao is going to install beacons for location information transmission in the Jeju International Airport, tourism complexes, and the like this year, while launching pilot projects for smart tourism in major sites. Mobile tour guide services are to be made available, along with online payment services, and various types of tourism information will be turned into a database called the Jeju Tourism Library.

Daum Kakao will join in on the Carbon-free Island Jeju 2030 Project, too. The purpose of the project is to boost the use of eco-friendly power generation and electric vehicles by 2030.

Amore Pacific also will open a “Creative Economy Innovation Center” in Sept. on the Jeju Island to foster the beauty and tourism industries as well.

The company has developed a green tea complex in the southwestern part of the island, since its founder Suh Sung-whan began turning barren soil into a large-scale green tea farm in 1979, including a green tea museum and a research lab.

The cosmetics firm has reportedly come to conclude that it is that setting up an innovation center in Jeju Island with pristine nature and biodiversity the best way forward for sustainable growth.

“We hope the innovative center transforms the island into a beauty industry hub. To that end, we will invest 100 billion won [US$91 million] to establish an ecosystem for the beauty industry, ranging from product development to commercialization. We also plan to develop premium culture and tourism content to attract more tourists at home and abroad,” said the company spokesperson on June 26.

Amore Pacific will first establish a “Green Beauty Valley,” where the company cultivates high-quality green tea, and operates resorts and other tourist facilities.

The company will also set up the Innisfree Foundation, capitalizing 10 billion won (US$8.9 million) to more effectively conserve the island's ecosystem and promote the cultural content industry. Innisfree is Amore's most successful low-cost cosmetics brand.

The company also plans to establish a 30 billion won (US$27 million) “shared-growth” fund to help small and medium enterprises and startups on the island.

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