"Beyond Startups to Growth"... Unified Voice from SMEs, Academia, and Research Institutes

"2026 2nd SME Policy Symposium" Held

The Korea Federation of SMEs and the Small and Medium Business Research Institute announced that, in collaboration with the Korea Society of Entrepreneurship, the Korea Youth Entrepreneurship Foundation, they held the "2026 2nd SME Policy Symposium" at KBIZ Hall, Korea Federation of SMEs in Yeouido, Seoul on May 7.

This symposium, under the theme "From Startup to Growth: Structural Transformation of a Participatory Startup Ecosystem," was organized to discuss policy agendas for ushering in a national startup era, focusing on the "Startup for Everyone" project. It also aimed to derive implementation strategies and collaboration frameworks for a full-cycle ecosystem that connects startup, growth, investment, and globalization.

The event featured congratulatory remarks from Sung-Sook Han, Minister of SMEs and Startups, and a keynote speech by Han Ju Lee, Chairman of the National Research Council for Economics, Humanities and Social Sciences, followed by presentations and a comprehensive discussion on the structural transformation of the startup ecosystem and challenges facing local startup ecosystems. Minister Han stated, "Now is the time for policy to shift its focus from 'providing' jobs to 'creating' jobs, and startups are at the core of that transition." She added, "If 'Startup for Everyone' has played the role of launching startups, it is now time for scaling up policies to carry that launch forward into growth. We will support the entire process—from starting up, to growing, to going global—without interruption through initiatives such as sector-specific challenges, TIPS·Unicorn Bridge, and projects to create startup cities."

Hanju Lee, Chair of the National Research Council of Economics, Humanities and Social Sciences (4th from the left), Seongsuk Han, Minister of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, and Joohyun Cho, President of the Small and Medium Business Research Institute, are posing for a commemorative photo. Korea Federation of SMEs

Han Ju Lee, Chairman of the National Research Council for Economics, Humanities and Social Sciences, remarked, "In the midst of complex crises such as low growth, an aging population, concentration in the capital area, and shrinking venture investment, startups and ventures must become the core axis of South Korea's national growth strategy." He continued, "Through 'Startup for Everyone,' we need to connect technological innovation, social innovation, and job creation, and promote the development of advanced industries such as AI and semiconductors, the creation of startup cities, and the expansion of the National Growth Fund. This will help establish a virtuous cycle ecosystem of startup-growth-investment that spreads across regions and industries."

Next, Chunwoo Lee, Professor at University of Seoul, gave a presentation on "Tasks Toward Becoming a Strong Nation in the Entrepreneurial Innovation Startup Ecosystem," diagnosing that a quantitative expansion-focused structure of startup policy has reached its limits. In the second keynote presentation, Eun-Ae Jeong, Research Fellow at the Small and Medium Business Research Institute, discussed "The Current Status of Local Startup Ecosystems and Structural Tasks for Growth," stating that population decline, aging, and youth outflow are weakening regional economic foundations, while core startup resources such as venture companies and accelerators are concentrated in the capital region, widening the gap between regions.

In the comprehensive discussion, with Professor Sungmin Jeon of Gachon University as moderator, participants discussed shifting the focus of startup policy outcomes from the "number of startups" to "growth structures." Attendees emphasized that the key to the national startup era is not just increasing the number of startups, but creating an ecosystem in which startup companies can continue to grow. In addition, they suggested that, in order to achieve this, it is necessary to spread the startup ecosystem beyond the capital area into the regions, and to structurally transform toward a participatory startup ecosystem that combines private sector leadership with government support.

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