Innovation Achievements of SMEs in One Place... '2024 Jungso Gieop Yunghap Daejeon'

15 Individuals Awarded Government Honors for Promoting SME Exchange and Collaboration

Government awards were given to individuals who achieved innovative results by promoting exchange and collaboration among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups and Gwangju Metropolitan City held the opening ceremony of the "2024 SME Convergence Expo" on the 24th at the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center in Gwangju, showcasing innovative achievements created through exchange, collaboration, and technology convergence among companies, and awarding distinguished contributors.

Now in its eleventh year, the SME Convergence Expo is hosted annually by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and local governments, and organized by the Korea Federation of SMEs Convergence.

At the opening ceremony, a total of 15 government awards were presented to individuals who contributed to revitalizing the regional economy through inter-company exchange, collaboration, and technology convergence, including one Gold Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit, one Silver Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit, two Industrial Service Merit awards, five Presidential Commendations, and six Prime Minister Commendations.

Kim Hak-gyu, CEO of DKOSTEC, who received the Gold Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit, contributed to the development of the automotive industry and led national export performance by localizing overseas parts through continuous research and development in the automotive subframe field.

Jung Won-kyun, CEO of Jungwon Machinery, awarded the Silver Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit, was recognized for his efforts in research and development in the precision gear and oil pump gear set processing fields for automobiles, contributing to steady sales growth and regional economic development.

The Industrial Service Merit awards were given to So Soon-min, CEO of Shinmi Precision, and Kim Sang-hyun, CEO of Kovea. CEO So succeeded in research and development of new products such as automotive drive chassis and body, and electric vehicle battery cases. CEO Kim was recognized for his achievements, including acquiring 35 domestic patents based on over 40 years of expertise in gas burner product development, the only one of its kind in Korea.

At the event, more than 150 companies participated, exhibiting a variety of products including collaborative achievements between companies. An export consultation meeting inviting overseas buyers for collaborative companies and on-site interviews for hiring local talent were also conducted.

Additionally, various side programs were prepared, including the Industry-Academia-Government Cooperation Policy Forum, Public Rental Knowledge Industry Center Policy Seminar, and Gwangju Regional Industry Revitalization Forum.

Meanwhile, prior to attending the event, Deputy Minister Kim Seong-seop of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups visited Fine Special Vehicle, which is promoting a joint business transition with multiple companies to develop unmanned low-speed special vehicles, to hear the difficulties faced by participating companies.

Deputy Minister Kim encouraged, “If companies combine their strengths and pursue strategic alliances in areas where individual companies cannot challenge alone, they will be able to pioneer new industries and niche markets ahead of others.”

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