Women's Entrepreneurs Day... Shin Geumsik, CEO of Shin TS, Awarded the Gold Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] Shin Geumsik, CEO of bicycle apparel manufacturer SNTES, was awarded the Gold Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Korea Women Entrepreneurs Association announced on the 11th at the ‘24th Women Entrepreneurs Day’ event held at the Korea Federation of SMEs in Yeouido, Seoul, that they honored and encouraged 75 women entrepreneurs who contributed to national economic development through job creation and exports.

CEO Shin, who received the Gold Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit, founded an outdoor original equipment manufacturing (OEM) specialized company in 2004 based on 18 years of experience in the apparel industry. SNTES established production bases in Vietnam and Ethiopia and has grown into a global textile company, achieving annual export performance of about 100 million USD worldwide, including Italy, France, and the United States. The bicycle apparel brand ‘NSR’, made with excellent functional materials, has also grown into a brand with about 300 retail stores.

CEO Lee Eunmi of Centec, who received the Industrial Service Merit, started her business in 2002 at the Cheonan Techno Park Startup Incubation Center and has distinguished herself in the field of video surveillance systems. Through a 3D position control video surveillance monitoring system, she has contributed to various fields such as △forest fire prevention △public safety △smooth vehicle traffic control by monitoring fire, crime prevention, and traffic situations.

CEO Kim Hongsuk of HP&C also jointly received the Industrial Service Merit. Starting in 1993 as a distributor of cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, the company shifted to cosmetics manufacturing and developed new products through joint research with university research institutes, preparing future growth engines. She was recognized for her contributions to creating jobs for women with career interruptions by regularizing all employees, introducing work-study dual systems, and implementing the Women’s New Employment Internship Program.

An award ceremony for entrepreneurs selected in the ‘2020 Women Startup Competition’ hosted by the Women’s Enterprise Comprehensive Support Center was also held. Park Kyungha, CEO of Once Global, who won the grand prize (Minister of SMEs and Startups Award), founded the company in 2019 after developing ‘Connect DI’, an AI-based pharmaceutical data provision solution, with experience in medical information database (DB) projects at the Korea Health Industry Development Institute and global pharmaceutical companies.

This year’s event was held with minimal on-site attendance and conducted in a ‘non-face-to-face’ format such as video to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Park Youngsun, Minister of SMEs and Startups, said in her congratulatory speech, "I thank the women entrepreneurs who have worked hard to create jobs and develop the national economy despite the difficult business conditions caused by COVID-19," and added, "We will further strengthen support for fostering women-owned businesses, including preparing a ‘Women Enterprise Promotion Plan.’"

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.