Traveling back and forth between Korea and North America, I have seen several cultural differences between the two and these differences also seem to appear in the regions’ respective Maker cultures, too. One of the features that I have found is that Maker movements seem to spread more slowly in Korea than in Western countries. In South Korea, with a very dense population, most people can hardly secure open space, such as a garage, for making and storing their projects and tools and often have to create work space out of nothing.
In addition, having grown up in Korea, my peers and I experienced a very tight Korean educational system that insists on uniformity of academic achievements and goals for higher scores to get into better universities. This subjected us to intense competition between students, which we found tough and made us unhappy. This, too, seems to contribute to the lag of spreading a grassroots making culture. Despite these possible weaknesses, the dense population in the country can be advantageous sometimes, in that the government creates collective areas where people can benefit by receiving many related services at once, in one place. I recently visited a local Korean version of a ‘hackerspace’ in the city of Changwon, and, hopefully, you’ll be able to understand and envision what I mean.
2013年初，韩国政府预算了约5500万美元，建造了一座17层的建筑物，以容纳一个研究和创造力中心，企业和学术机构可以在长旺地区使用该中心。为了重振研发创新，并推进对韩国Gyeongsangnam-do省的高科技投资，Gyeongnam Changwon Science & Technology Promotion Agencywas opened. For those not familiar with Korean geography, Gyeongsangnam-do Province takes up approximately one eighth of the whole of South Korea.
在这座建筑的二楼，Gyeongnam创意和创新中心所在地。中心包括一个图书馆,咖啡馆with books on a wide variety of topics, including 3D printing, modeling, and startups. It also has several conference rooms with the newest equipment for presentations, a consulting zone comprised of professional, legal, and financial consultants, an incubator zone where actual startups can come and set up their offices, and lastly, a makerspace with lots of 3D printers, laser cutters, CNC machines, and various other tools.
These services are available to all members of the general public, but some require a reservation. The center also runs lots of programs for visitors such as free classes on law, creating startups, and even a class on startup tips where you can enjoy free chicken. On occasion, the center hooks up with large corporations and takes visitors to these companies for field trips.
As a 3D printer user, I was excited to see what 3D printers they had at the makerspace. I saw around 10 different FDM desktop printers; some fromOpenCreators，有些来自Daegun Tech, and some generic open source printers made by other users. I was especially excited to learn that, while a big chunk of the second floor is currently being used as space for startup companies, would-be startups, Makers, and 3D printer users, a separate center specifically for 3D printing is to be constructed down on the first floor later this year.
目前，在星期三举行的每两周一次的3D打印用户的会议，在那里，我能够与Park Kihun会面，这是会议的主持人和中心的初创公司的首席执行官。他开始了他的冒险，Robotoryum2014年5月，两个月前进入中心。他的专业是电子工程和机器人自动控制，但在此过程中，他熟悉了3D建模和制作。
His business concept is to make a robot using 3D printing and Arduino. But he has not been able to fully concentrate on his project because he has been swamped with 3D modeling and printing requests… as there are not many experts around the area. Most customers and clients ask him to print samples or prototypes in plastic so that they can take part in various exhibitions. For now, he cannot help postponing his original plans, but makes money by providing printing services. He has started to hire and train some employees to help his business grow. Despite his busy schedule, he still lectures at nearby universities about 3D printing and holds meetings for 3D printer users. He has also been taking care of the local makerspace. Thanks to his advice and guidance, I was able to see more of the area.
希望有了像我在韩国东南角发现的中心（和人们），这些资产将有助于激发这里少数韩国制造商的精神，并会激发其他人的灵感，并可能为韩国文化带来一些更具创造力的基层变化。
