The Korea Federation of SMEs (KBIZ) on the 24th announced 175 policy tasks aimed at achieving regionally led growth driven by small and medium-sized enterprises. The policy tasks are organized around three key agendas — promoting the inflow of businesses and talent, enhancing industrial and corporate innovation capabilities, and improving infrastructure — comprising 35 common tasks and 140 region-specific tasks.
First, to promote the inflow of businesses and talent, KBIZ proposed eight policy tasks including expanding the eligibility criteria for reshoring companies to encourage their relocation to regional areas and resolving mismatches between young job seekers and regional SMEs through a "strong small enterprise" platform.
The federation also stressed the need to pursue 15 policy tasks to enhance industrial and corporate innovation capabilities, including supporting the business conversion of traditional regional manufacturing industries and establishing an R&D-procurement linkage system for regional SMEs. For infrastructure improvement, KBIZ presented 12 tasks such as easing tenant industry restrictions at aging industrial complexes to help regional businesses settle in and improving living conditions to encourage young workers to remain at regional SMEs for longer periods.
KBIZ also identified a total of 140 region-specific tasks reflecting on-the-ground voices from SMEs across the country. In the Gwangju-South Jeolla region, proposals included establishing a basic development plan for an integrated special city with SME sector participation and devising measures to utilize administrative integration support funding. In the Busan-Ulsan region, proposals called for swift commencement of construction on the Gadeokdo New Airport and strengthening collaboration with regional SMEs by relocating maritime-related agencies to Busan. The South Gyeongsang region proposed support for strengthening the competitiveness of shipbuilding and equipment SMEs.
The Daegu-North Gyeongsang region proposed supporting and advancing SMEs' transition to future mobility industries and promoting the export-oriented transformation of automotive and advanced materials parts companies. The Daejeon-Sejong region proposed improving regional startup and venture conditions, including the creation of a deep-tech startup valley. South Chungcheong proposed improving local government evaluation indicators for renewable energy supply programs, while North Chungcheong proposed attracting bio companies and supporting startups within the Osong Bio Industrial Complex.
The North Jeolla region proposed designating and supporting an SME-specialized RE100 industrial complex in Saemangeum. Jeju proposed implementing a Jeju-style LPG cylinder recycling program. The Gangwon region proposed expanding its manufacturing base through the establishment of a Gangwon-style supply chain stabilization platform.
Northern Gyeonggi proposed measures to revitalize the Peace Economy Special Zone with regulatory easing provisions. In the broader Gyeonggi region, there were strong calls for establishing a central government operational support framework for regenerating regional small supermarkets. Incheon proposed support for constructing a smart joint logistics center dedicated to industrial goods, and the Seoul region proposed strengthening systematic support for the nation's largest printing industry cluster.
"Based on total SME revenue, the business gap between the Seoul metropolitan area and non-metropolitan regions has widened to a 6-to-4 ratio, and 63% of non-metropolitan SMEs actually perceive a significant business gap with the capital region," KBIZ Chairman Kim Ki-moon said. "To reverse the rapid trend of concentration in the Seoul metropolitan area that has accelerated since the 2000s and to achieve regionally led growth where both SMEs and small business owners thrive, SME policy tasks must be actively incorporated and translated into substantive policies."
