Jinju City to Foster Start-ups Embracing K-Entrepreneurship

Nine Companies Selected for Startup Academy, Six for One-person Creative Enterprise Program

Building a Growth Platform Through Technology Advancement and Investment Connections

Jinju City in South Gyeongsang Province is officially launching policies to foster start-ups based on K-entrepreneurship. The city announced that it has completed the selection of companies to participate in the “Jinju-type Startup Academy” and the “Jinju-type One-person Creative Enterprise Support Program,” and has begun providing growth support.

The city recognizes that K-entrepreneurship—characterized by a fearless spirit of challenge, continuous innovation, and the pursuit of social value—has recently become a key factor in the growth of start-ups. Jinju City plans to actively incorporate this spirit into its overall start-up policies in order to strengthen its status as the capital of entrepreneurship in Korea.

This initiative garnered significant attention, as a total of 88 start-ups and prospective entrepreneurs from across the country applied through a public call for applications in March. Following document screening and presentations, nine companies were finally selected for the “Jinju-type Startup Academy,” and six companies were chosen for the “Jinju-type One-person Creative Enterprise Support Program.”

Jinju City, Exterior View of Sangpyeong Innovation Support Center and Sangpyeong Complex Cultural Center Photo

The “Jinju-type Startup Academy” is a program that supports the advancement of technology and investment connections for companies that have been established for less than five years and possess innovative ideas and growth potential. Each selected company will receive 30 million won in commercialization funds and a capacity-building program.

The “Jinju-type One-person Creative Enterprise Support Program” is a program designed to help prospective entrepreneurs with creative business models refine their ideas and achieve early-stage growth. Each selected participant will receive 10 million won in commercialization funds and a customized growth support program.

Jinju City plans to operate both programs not as simple financial support but by making K-entrepreneurship a core value. By integrating K-entrepreneurship—which is regarded as the spiritual foundation of leading domestic companies such as Samsung, LG, GS, and Hyosung Group—into practical management, the city aims to enhance the management capabilities of start-ups so they can grow into competitive mid-sized companies.

An official from Jinju City stated, “Our goal is not just to support start-ups, but to nurture companies that practice K-entrepreneurship as a management philosophy,” and added, “We will actively support the selected companies so they can become leading small but strong enterprises representing the region.”

Meanwhile, Jinju City plans to continuously expand its start-up infrastructure and strengthen investment connections utilizing policy resources, thereby accelerating the creation of a future-oriented start-up city.

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