Interior ministry selects five corporate teams for local problem-solving contest

The interior ministry said Monday it selected five corporate-linked teams as winners of a contest designed to solve local community problems through joint innovation. Held at COEX in Seoul on Sept. 21, the event connected companies seeking social contribution opportunities with regions struggling to find solutions for entrenched issues.

Winning entries from Lotte Card, Kakao, Hyundai Engineering, APS Group and SK Chemicals were each paired with a local partner to address specific regional challenges.

Jin Myung-ki, head of the ministry's Local Autonomy Innovation Office, said the selected innovations would be supported to ensure they deliver tangible results. "We will continue to provide opportunities for communication and cooperation among the public, private and corporate sectors so that innovative ideas can lead to substantial outcomes," he said.

The contest drew 60 teams after opening online applications in July, with the final five chosen to represent models for corporate-regional coexistence. Past winners have already launched successful initiatives, such as a project by Kia Corp to address food deserts in depopulated areas.

Alongside the competition, the ministry operated a booth at the Social Value Festa running through Tuesday to showcase other successful cases of local government and corporate collaboration.