South Korea's Ministry of SMEs and Startups is launching tailored policies to nurture local entrepreneurs and small business owners while developing regional commercial districts, based on the core value of "growth and renewed momentum for small businesses."
Vice Minister Lee Byeong-kwon held the "2026 Small Business Policy Briefing" at the Small Business Digital Education Center in Mapo-gu, Seoul on the 16th.
"Considering changes in the domestic and international environment, we determined it necessary to strengthen existing policies protecting small businesses while expanding support to include growth and social safety nets," Lee said. "We will enhance our demand-driven policies tailored to the perspective of small business owners."
At the briefing, Vice Minister Lee presented the core message of "growth and renewed momentum." He outlined the 2026 small business policy direction in three categories: increasing small business sales, supporting rapid recovery and second chances for small business owners, and improving the policy support system.
First, the ministry will implement policies to boost sales for small businesses and commercial districts. To enhance individual competitiveness, it will strengthen capabilities through AI and digital technologies while promoting win-win cooperation with platforms, large corporations, and other economic players to help small businesses grow rapidly.
The ministry also plans to systematically nurture local startups that launch and grow in regional areas. Through an audition-style process, it will identify 1,000 promising local entrepreneurs and support their ventures with funding and professional mentoring. Local startup towns will be expanded from eight to ten locations to provide regional youth with networking opportunities and access to startup information and education.
The ministry will provide swift support for small business recovery and second attempts. Policy funding will move away from a first-come-first-served basis to prioritize assessing crisis situations for businesses in distress. A comprehensive support system will also offer one-stop debt restructuring assistance during recovery consultations.
Additionally, existing programs including employment insurance support will be expanded to strengthen safety nets for small business owners and self-employed individuals. The ministry plans to coordinate with related agencies to ensure they can maintain a basic quality of life comparable to regular workers in areas such as childcare and health checkups.
Small business policies will be improved to make benefits more accessible to users. Statistics published by the ministry will be enhanced through private sector collaboration, and data will be thoroughly analyzed to enable more efficient future support. This will also enable customized policy information guidance by target group.
