FEATURE: Young "local creators" changing fate of small S. Korean cities

Mungyeong, a small city of 71,000 in the central part of South Korea, welcomed about 80,000 visitors last year thanks to the efforts of a group of intrepid young entrepreneurs, attracting attention as a successful model for combating rural depopulation. On a sunny spring day, in the retro-looking cafe, many visitors could be seen soaking up the relaxed atmosphere. Some were attentively viewing wall displays showing the history of how the cafe transformed from what was long ago a Korean sake brewery. "I first got to know about this place from the media. After hearing that it was renovated from ...