On the 16th and 17th, the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province and the Jeju Creative Economy Innovation Center announced the final selection of nine local companies for the 2026 ‘The Jeju Creator’ program. This initiative aims to cultivate local enterprises with growth potential and bolster the local economy while establishing a foundation for global market expansion.

The selection process involved an open audition, where nine companies were chosen from a pool of 26 local enterprises, categorized into four ‘Jeju Anchors’ and five ‘Glocal Anchors’. The evaluation engaged seven experts from the domestic and international local startup sectors, along with a selection of 24 local citizen evaluators.

The ‘Jeju Anchors’ include companies recognized for their innovative approaches: ‘Gyu Medal’, known for its award-winning products that utilize Jeju tangerines; ‘Cocoha’, which operates a Kakao-based business model in collaboration with the local community; ‘Jeju Fillet’, a premium chocolate brand integrating European recipes with Jeju’s local resources; and ‘Nadri Food’, which reinvents traditional flavors with a local twist.

In the ‘Glocal Anchors’ category, companies include ‘We’d Like’, which taps into influencer intellectual property to penetrate the K-food market; ‘Mother Works’, a children’s organic food brand reflecting Jeju's naturalistic values; ‘Salt by Pep’, leveraging patented food-tech to showcase pristine Jeju beef; ‘1950’, which creates eco-friendly household products from local ingredients; and ‘BM Cos’, which is preparing to enter the natural cosmetics sector with Jeju camellia as its key ingredient.

The nine selected companies will receive funding and programs aimed at business refinement, alongside specialized consulting through partnerships with related institutions, ensuring a robust growth path to becoming flagship local brands.

Governor Oh Young-hoon commented, “The selected local enterprises have the potential to brand Jeju’s culture and compete in the global market. We will provide unwavering support for them to emerge as local anchors that drive economic vitality in the region.”

Significantly, the open audition drew attention from executives of the Oya Department Store Group, which operates over 150 locations with its headquarters in Changchun, China. Their visit indicates growing interest in the competitiveness of Jeju local products and potential collaborative opportunities moving forward.