Pukyong National University

Busan’s Nam-gu District, Home to 4,000 Young People, Sets Sights on Becoming a Youth Startup Hub

- “B-Star Performance-Sharing Conference and N-URP Implementation Plan Briefing” Held on the 11th

- Showcasing the achievements of the Entrepreneurship-Sharing University initiative jointly led by Pukyong National University, Kyungsung University, Tongmyong University, and Nam-gu District Office

Pukyong National University, Kyungsung University, Tongmyong University, and the Nam-gu District Office of Busan held the “B-Star Performance-Sharing Conference and N-URP Implementation Plan Briefing” on the afternoon of February 11 at the Pearl Room of Lotte Hotel Busan, with approximately 80 participants in attendance, including representatives from universities, local governments, public institutions, companies, and students.

The event was organized to review the achievements of the Busan Open Entrepreneurship-Sharing University (B-Star) initiative, which has been implemented under the Busan-style RISE program, and to publicly share strategies for expanding new projects this year.

The three universities and the Nam-gu District Office of Busan have been operating an Entrepreneurship-Sharing University initiative since last year in cooperation on entrepreneurship education, infrastructure linkage, and startup support, with the goal of developing the Nam-gu area―home to approximately 4,000 young people―into a youth startup hub.

More than 1,000 young participants completed the jointly operated entrepreneurship courses last year, and approximately 350 completed non-curricular programs. Outstanding students were selected to take part in domestic and overseas camps. Through systematic support for startup activities―including startup clubs, shared offices, and shared equipment―the initiative has drawn attention as a representative, region-based model for innovation in the startup ecosystem.

In particular, the “Ddalggak App” development team, introduced as a best practice of the initiative, drew attention as a flagship success model in student entrepreneurship. The team, which began as a startup club at Pukyong National University, launched the Ddalggak App last year―a service that allows users to collect, save, and manage links to desired online content in one place. The app has since gained popularity, attracting approximately 34,000 users to date. This year, the team is preparing to establish revenue models and expand into global markets.

The three universities and the Nam-gu District Office plan to further develop the B-Star initiative this year into the N-URP (Namgu？University Research Park) Program. Going beyond university？local government collaboration, they aim to expand cooperation with regional research institutes and industry, work to address local challenges and strengthen regional industrial competitiveness, encourage young talent to settle in the region, and build a sustainable startup ecosystem in which universities, companies, and the local community grow together. <Pukyong Today>