Ministry of SMEs and Startups Hosts '2021 Korea Small Business Owners Conference'

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Junhyung] The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on the 4th that it held the '2021 Korea Small Business Owners Festival and Skills Competition' at the Changwon Convention Center in Changwon-si, Gyeongnam, to award exemplary small business owners and contributors to their development.

The Small Business Owners Festival is the largest annual event related to small business owners, held since 2006. The Ministry explained that it has contributed to improving the social and economic status of small business owners, including designating November 5th, Small Business Owners Day, as a legal commemorative day since 2015. Last year, the event was held online due to COVID-19. However, this year it was held in person following the government's phased daily recovery (With COVID) policy.

At the government awards ceremony, 24 government awards and 122 ministerial commendations were presented to exemplary small business owners, contributors to development, and excellent support organizations. In the exemplary small business owner category, Moon Kwe-chul, CEO of Gidurami Boiler Yongsan Sales, received the Iron Tower Industrial Medal for promoting the excellence of hot water ondol heating worldwide. In the contributor to development category, Park Jeong-hee, director of the Korea Gift Packaging Association, received the Stone Tower Industrial Medal. In the excellent support organization category, Korea South-East Power was recognized for sponsoring the Busan Contents Market and Brand Festa for three consecutive years and received the Presidential Commendation.

Meanwhile, about 1,000 small business owners from four organizations, including the Korea Makeup Beauty Association and the Korea Custom Tailoring Association, are participating in the skills competition held from the 4th to the 5th.

Minister Kwon Chil-seung of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups said, "In the ongoing hardship of small business owners since last year, we were able to provide a small hope and comfort by promptly executing disaster relief funds," adding, "We will prioritize the recovery and stabilization of small business owners in our policies and ensure the smooth implementation of loss compensation."

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