Lee Min-Ju
Reporter

Our school is located in Seongbuk-gu, which
is somewhat removed from the rest of Seoul.
While this can feel slightly isolating, there are
benefits to being a student in Seongbuk-gu.
If you are interested, check out the Seongbuk
Cluster, an organization that was created in
2022 by the Seongbuk-gu Office, Dongduk
Women’s University (DWU), Korea University
(KU), Kookmin University (KMU), Seokyeong
University (SKU), and Hansung University
(HSU) in an effort to bring more energy and
liveliness into the area.

The main project of the Seongbuk Cluster
is for each university to conduct general
education lectures twice a year (once every
semester) to provide Seongbuk-gu students
and residents with a wide range of experiences.
These classes are provided for free, and
students are given a Seongbuk Cluster course
completion certificate after they attend. The
Seongbuk Cluster has also made efforts to
help young startup entrepreneurs by hosting
networking festivals in the area.

Lessons and courses conducted by the
Seongbuk Cluster in 2024:

First semester:

KMU: Lesson on public speaking for entrepreneurs
where you learn to share your ideas and
vision through storytelling and brand power.

KU: Using short-form videos for your business:
With lessons involving creating short-form
videos, editing, and learning how to operate a
YouTube channel through practical training.

SKU: Video production for everyone: Content
production practice for culturally-underprivileged
groups and accessibility video
production training.

HSU: Smart store online startup: Understanding
e-commerce, Naver Shopping, and Naver
Shopping exposure strategy, etc.

DWU: Personal branding class, business
model canvas, and the secret to becoming a
successful company: CSR.

Second semester:

KMU: Tending to the minds of entrepreneurs
and sharing strategies for success and
well-being: Office meditation practice that
lays the foundation for mental health and
creation of a life map for business success.

KU: Put on your shorts and earn: Feedback
on producing YouTube shorts, special lectures
on creating thumbnails to generate profit,
and thumbnail optimization training using AI.

SKU: First step to YouTube advertising:
Planning the YouTube channel you want
to create, how to create high quality videos
at low cost, and how to edit videos using AI
tools.

HSU: Understanding and using Chat GPT and
creating a business plan: Basic use of Chat
GPT, creation of a website and images using
generative AI, etc.

DWU: Glocal, a taste of global entrepreneurship:
Learning and understanding global
entrepreneurship with board games and by
planting Monitrees (vines that grow around
your monitor).

If you are a student of any of the five universities
listed above or a resident of Seongbuk-gu,
you can sign up for such classes through the
Seongbuk education portal: https://www.sb.go.
kr/edu/mainPage.do

Youth Entrepreneurship Networking Festival:

The Seongbuk Cluster also holds networking
festivals for young entrepreneurs.
The first networking festival was held in 2023, followed
by the second in June this year. Students and
local residents interested in starting a business
were allowed to participate in the festival, and
various gifts and activities were provided for
participants to enjoy. The networking festivals
were held in the hopes of forming a network
among startup companies in the campus town,
and provide a place to discover prospective
entrepreneurs in Seongbuk-gu. Some of the
main programs of the networking festival
were a regional revitalization council, where
entrepreneurship revitalization plans were
shared among government, industry and
academic officials, as well as a startup
mentoring session and Investor Relations (IR)
Demo Day, where startup companies from
five universities in the Seongbuk Cluster
pitched their ideas to experts. The festival
ended the night with a final networking
session where guests could talk freely and
make connections.

The Seongbuk Cluster has played a
consistent role in revitalizing the Seongbukgu
region. In addition to opening various
classes, it hosts networking parties to help
local youths start businesses as a way of
preventing local stagnation. Students and
residents who are interested should definitely
look into getting involved in the lessons and
events.

minjulee@kookmin.ac.kr