On the 12th, the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises held a 'Reigniting Korea's Growth Engine' forum on the theme of 'Policy Directions for Small and Medium Enterprises of the Next Government' at the KBIZ in Yeouido, Seoul.
The forum was held on the first day of Small and Medium Enterprise Week as stipulated in the Framework Act on Small and Medium Enterprises. It was organized to discuss key policy tasks that the new government should pursue ahead of the 21st presidential election. About 300 representatives from small and medium enterprises and small business owners attended, including Jin Sung-jun, chairperson of the Democratic Party of Korea's policy committee, and Kim Sang-hoon, chairperson of the People Power Party's policy committee.
Kim Gi-moon, president of KBIZ, noted in his opening remarks that '75.7% of small business owners pointed to economic growth as the most important quality for the next president' and added, 'Both small and medium enterprises and the public are experiencing significant anxiety about the political situation. Regarding economic issues, regardless of party affiliation, everyone must unite to overcome the current crisis.'
Jin Sung-jun, chairperson of the Democratic Party of Korea's policy committee, stated that 'the Korean economy is facing a complex crisis, including domestic demand stagnation, aging, conflicts between the United States and China, and protectionism.' He emphasized that the Democratic Party has been working to reflect the demands of the small and medium enterprises sector in policies, such as granting cooperative request rights to small business cooperatives, including energy and transportation costs in linked pricing, and introducing a sustainable finance index for small and medium enterprises. He promised that the party would continue to do its utmost to develop policies for sustainable growth of small and medium enterprises and recovery of livelihoods.
Kim Sang-hoon, chairperson of the People Power Party's policy committee, remarked, 'The Korean economy is at a critical turning point,' and added, 'The People Power Party will work to create a country that is business-friendly and attractive for investment, based on voices from the field, by proposing flexible working hours, differentiated minimum wage by industry and business size, establishing measures to reduce industrial accidents with a preventive focus, and activating private investment in outdated local industrial complexes.'
Choo Moon-gap, head of the economic policy department at the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises, suggested policies that the next government should consider, stating, 'Although industry is changing, limits of a growth policy centered on large corporations are emerging.' He emphasized the need for a significant shift toward a small and medium enterprises-centered economic structure through the creation of sustainable jobs, revival of the manufacturing sector, and resolution of polarization.
In the following comprehensive discussion, Professor Lee Sang-myung from Hanyang University acted as the moderator. Participants included ▲Kang Dong-han, chairman of the Korea Forged Products Cooperative ▲Seong Mi-sook, president of the Korea Women's Venture Association ▲Bae Young-sook, CEO of Pachon ▲Noh Yong-seok, head of the small business policy department at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups ▲Oh Dong-yun, professor at Dong-A University ▲Koo In-hyuk, professor at Sookmyung Women's University ▲Noh Min-seon, researcher at the Korea SMEs & Startups Institute.