Ministry of SMEs and Startups Accelerates Small Business Sales Growth... "Fostering Local Entrepreneurs, Expanding AI"

2026 Small Business Policy Briefing Held

Core Message: "Growth and Re-Emergence"

Traditional Market Policies Linked with Culture and Tourism

Policy Funds Prioritized for Small Businesses in Crisis

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups has selected "Growth and Re-Emergence" as the core message of its small business policy for this year and announced detailed strategies. The goal is to foster competitive local entrepreneurs and strengthen digital education, including artificial intelligence (AI), to support the overall growth of the small business ecosystem.

On March 16, the Ministry held the "2026 Small Business Policy Briefing" at the Small Business Digital Education Center in Mapo-gu, Seoul, presided over by Second Vice Minister Lee Byungkwon. This briefing was organized to explain how small business policies have changed since the launch of the Sovereign Government and to share future policy directions with the public.

Vice Minister Lee presented the core message of "Growth and Re-Emergence" and outlined this year’s small business policy directions as follows: ▲ Boosting sales for small businesses ▲ Supporting the swift recovery and renewed challenges of small businesses ▲ Improving the policy support system for small businesses—three main pillars.

First, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups aims to enhance the AI and digital capabilities of small business owners and commercial districts, with increasing sales as a core objective. The Ministry will also strengthen collaborative partnerships with other economic actors, such as platforms and large corporations, to help small businesses achieve rapid growth. Local startups that are launched and grow based on their regions will be systematically nurtured as well.

On a broader scale, policy support for traditional markets will be linked with the culture and tourism sectors. For example, the upcoming Donghaeng Festival, which will begin early next month, will be held as an event for all, strengthening connections with regional activities and involving local governments, communities, large and small businesses, and traditional markets.

Next, the Ministry will provide swift support for the recovery and renewed challenges of small business owners. Unlike the previous "first-come, first-served" approach, policy funds will now prioritize small businesses facing distress, proactively monitoring those in crisis. In addition, a comprehensive support system will operate so that debt adjustment can be provided in a one-stop manner during counseling for business recovery.

To strengthen the safety net for small business owners and self-employed individuals, existing systems such as employment insurance support will be expanded and supplemented. In areas like childcare and health check-ups, the Ministry will coordinate with relevant departments so that small business workers can enjoy a basic standard of living comparable to other employees.

Finally, policies for small businesses will be improved to be simpler and faster. The Ministry will enhance small business statistics in collaboration with the private sector and analyze its data in detail to ensure efficient future support. This will allow for customized policy information for each target group.

Vice Minister Lee stated, "Previous small business policies focused mainly on protection, but considering changes in the internal and external environment, we need to both strengthen existing policies and expand the scope of support to include growth and social safety nets." He added, "We will continue to enhance demand-driven, customized policies that meet the real needs of small business owners."

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