SBS Partners with Dongducheon for Regional Revitalization: Launching New Variety Show 'Our Neighborhood Golden Age'

On the 31st, SBS signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Dongducheon City to collaborate on regional revitalization efforts. Through this MOU, both parties aim to activate local businesses, rejuvenate spaces, expand tourism and cultural opportunities for Dongducheon citizens, and collaborate on content planning that highlights regional characteristics.

Based on this agreement, SBS will launch a new variety show, 'Our Neighborhood Golden Age,' in August. This show is a 'regional regeneration project' designed to breathe new life into neighborhoods losing vitality due to population decline and regional extinction.

The cast includes Lee Kyung-kyu (65), Young Tak (42), DinDin (34), and Chef Lee Won-il (46). They will explore various regions, leading the program. Veteran entertainer Lee Kyung-kyu will guide the project with his extensive business experience, while trot singer Young Tak will bring energy and warmth to the region with his unique charm. The two have previously worked together on KBS's 'Dogs Are Great' since October last year.

Youngest member DinDin will uncover hidden charms of the region with his broad understanding and experience traveling across South Korea, and culinary icon Chef Lee Won-il will leverage his business acumen, proven by his successful kimbap restaurant in New York, to create F&B content that combines local specialties and culture, breathing life into spaces. Additionally, top-class experts from various fields, including architects, landscapers, and startup consultants, will join the project, raising expectations.

The team plans to tour various locations nationwide, including Dongducheon, Jinan County in North Jeolla Province, Mungyeong City in North Gyeongsang Province, and Jochiwon in Sejong City, with a particular focus on Dongducheon. They aim to transform the entire 'Livestock Brand Yuk Town' building, located in front of Soyosan Mountain, into a central space for Soyosan tourism and a complex cultural space equipped with F&B, as part of a large-scale project.

The core of this project is to develop signature content unique to Dongducheon that will attract visitors and create a space where people want to stay. This will highlight Dongducheon's unique charm and establish it as a new tourism hub that draws both citizens and visitors.

During the signing ceremony, Dongducheon Mayor Park Hyung-deok expressed strong commitment and expectations for the project. He stated, "Despite concerns and burdens about this new path, we made a decision for the future, trusting in SBS's content production capabilities. I'm pleased to take the important first step of regenerating the long-unused Brand Yuk Town into a tourism hub for the Soyosan area. We will spare no administrative support to ensure this challenge becomes a powerful driving force for change in Dongducheon."

SBS CEO Bang Moon-shin remarked, "'Our Neighborhood Golden Age' aims to not only transform spaces but also invigorate the region and tell a living, breathing story of neighborhoods where people and the region grow together. This MOU marks an important starting point for the new expansion of Dongducheon's story. We will demonstrate, together with Dongducheon, that broadcasting can be a 'practical tool' to invigorate local communities through SBS's content capabilities."

'Our Neighborhood Golden Age' is set to air in August.

Tae Yuna, Ten Asia Reporter youyou@tenasia.co.kr