Minister Kwon Chil-seung's First Field Visit as Minister of SMEs and Startups: "Reflecting Small Business Owners' Voices in Policy"

Minister Kwon Chil-seung of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups / Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] "I will always communicate with small business owners and reflect the voices from the field in policies."

On the 5th, Kwon Chil-seung, the newly appointed Minister of SMEs and Startups, visited the site of small business owners as his first step after taking office. He checked the status of the support fund disbursement and listened to the difficulties faced by small business owners.

That morning, Minister Kwon visited Dream Square (located in Mapo-gu, Seoul), a facility supporting innovative startups by small business owners, and nearby small business stores.

First, he received a briefing from the Small Enterprise and Market Service and checked the execution status of the support fund. The agency explained, "More than 90% of the support fund has been promptly disbursed."

Minister Kwon said, "In the mentally and physically difficult situation due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, the support fund is very important," and urged, "Please do your best until the support funds are paid without any issues."

Afterwards, Minister Kwon inspected support sites such as the 'Smart Dream Store,' where small business owners can directly experience smart stores, and the 'New Business Startup Academy Online Experience Center,' a space preparing for innovative startups.

At the Smart Dream Store, he spent time experiencing promising smart equipment for digital small business owners, such as unmanned vending machines and smart order systems.

Later, Minister Kwon visited two small business sites located in nearby shopping areas to listen to the difficulties of small business owners and offer words of comfort.

Minister Kwon said to the small business owners, "Thank you for steadfastly holding your ground despite the difficult conditions caused by COVID-19," and added, "I will always communicate with small business owners and reflect the voices from the field in policies."

Meanwhile, following the adoption of the confirmation hearing report at the National Assembly the previous day and the President's approval of the appointment, Minister Kwon officially began his duties as the third Minister of SMEs and Startups from this day.

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