From a Local Magazine to a Self-Funded Festival - Interview with BeMike CEO, Kim Aerim

 Hello, this is JIRO.

On the 13th, JIRO traveled to Iksan to meet Kim Aerim, CEO of BeMike.

From publishing a local magazine to organizing a fully self-funded festival,

and even operating Miji, a select shop in the old downtown area—

we’d like to share the story told by Kim Aerim, who continues to demonstrate the possibilities of “local.”

Miji is located just a four-minute walk from Iksan Station.

We met Kim Aerim in a space filled with products closely connected to Iksan.

Stepping Away from Familiarity

Discovering what makes a place special begins with stepping away from familiarity.

Kim Aerim emphasized the importance of not assuming we already know a place simply because it feels familiar.

The more familiar a place is—especially one we grew up in—the easier it is to say,

“There’s nothing here,” or “I already know everything.”

She explained that this mindset is one of the biggest reasons people end up leaving their hometowns.

Just as we often ignore advice from those closest to us,

we can also end up unconsciously overlooking the value of a neighborhood we’ve lived in for too long.

Seeing a Town Through a Traveler’s Eyes

Among BeMike’s many programs, what impressed JIRO the most was a project that documents neighborhoods using film cameras.

Why choose film cameras over faster and more convenient smartphones or digital cameras?

“Film cameras are slow media.

That slowness makes you look at a town more carefully.”

With no instant previews and no zoom function,

participants naturally move closer to the town and approach each photo with greater intention—

engaging more deeply with both the place and the moment.

Content Selection Criteria: Avoiding Franchises

In BeMike’s content and magazine, franchises are rarely featured.

Instead, the focus is on long-standing local shops in Iksan,

places where owners are frequently present,

and spaces that reflect the passage of time in the neighborhood—

even if they aren’t always perfectly friendly.

Kim Aerim explained that these are the places she wants to turn into content, saying:

“People are the most important element of local content.”

Because BeMike prioritizes firsthand experience, content creation takes time.

They visit, eat, shop, talk, and return again.

Her remark that working in local content requires spending both time and money as if you were in a relationship left a strong impression.

“Self-Funded Festival”? Really?

The Chunpo Market, held in Chunpo-myeon, Iksan, was a completely self-funded festival—organized without any local government budget and led by local brands.

Local sellers from in and around Iksan filled flea market booths with handmade goods, local food, and experiential programs.

Local artists performed on stage, and visitors could also join programs exploring Chunpo’s history.

The event has already reached its second season.

The result?

Over 600 visitors in a single day—enough to cause traffic jams in a quiet rural village.

For JIRO, who thought festivals always required major budgets for artists, sound systems, venues, and booths,

a self-funded festival seemed unimaginable.

Kim Aerim shared:

“There were difficult moments, of course.

But having fewer constraints actually allowed us to do what we truly wanted.”

Never Giving Up on Offline Activities

What most distinguishes BeMike from other local magazines is its commitment to offline activities.

They open cafés,

host book talks,

run tour programs,

and organize festivals.

While fully aware of the importance of online content, Kim Aerim believes:

“Content that ends on a screen alone cannot change a town.”

BeMike aims not just to make people watch content,

but to make them come and experience the place themselves.

Can Local Work Become a Career?

Sometimes, “Unproductive” Time Is Necessary

Near the end of the interview, JIRO—approaching graduation and employment—asked a question:

“Can working in local communities actually make money?”

“Yes,” she replied.

“There are still so many gaps.”

Regardless of one’s major or level of experience,

there are countless things in local communities that no one has tried yet.

Even if you start by working for free—or at a loss—

those experiences accumulate into trust,

and trust eventually turns into work.

Reflecting on BeMike’s early days, Kim Aerim added:

“If there’s something you truly want to do,

you also need time that might seem wasteful at first.”

This concludes our interview with the CEO of BeMike.

How did you find it?

For JIRO, it was a precious time filled with hope and renewed motivation.

We had promised to meet again at the Season 3 Chunpo Market a few months later—

but just two days after the interview,

we ran into her again at a Golmok (Alleyway) Conference in Daejeon.

It was such a happy surprise!

We’ll be sharing our visit to the Daejeon Golmok Conference soon,

so please stay tuned!

Curious to learn more about Jiro?

JIRO Website: www.en.localnow.kr

JIRO Instagram: www.instagram.com/localnow.kr

JIRO YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@localnow_kr