로컬 창업자의 문화매개를 통한 지역문화 활성화 모형 연구 : 제주도를 중심으로

In the era of local extinction, who will be the ones to revitalize the regions? To address this question, the research focused on cases of local entrepreneurs who have voluntarily relocated to regions and are injecting vitality through their startups. By creatively utilizing local resources, these entrepreneurs not only start businesses but also create and spread new regional cultures by commercializing products that embody regional values. In other words, they are carrying out cultural practices through their economic activities of entrepreneurship. To comprehend how individual cultural practices can bring vitality to regions, this research conducted interviews with entrepreneurs in Jeju Island, where relocation and entrepreneurship are thriving. The findings identified various forms of entrepreneurship that are achieving sustainable growth within the region, and a model for regional revitalization through local entrepreneurship was derived using grounded theory coding. Additionally, three types of cultural production were identified in the process of creating regional culture through entrepreneurship. Furthermore, many entrepreneurs operate on a small scale like sole proprietorships, managing the entire process of producing, distributing, and selling cultural products within the region by themselves, which demonstrates the characteristics of omnipotent cultural intermediaries. The experiences of these entrepreneurs, who have created sustainable development through new attempts, provide practical implications and suggest ways of working independently yet harmoniously within the community for future entrepreneurs in the region and also creators in various cultural fields.