On the 24th, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced that it held a launch ceremony for the "Inter-Agency Startup Overseas Expansion" at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul. This launch ceremony marks the beginning of collaboration among nine central ministries, including the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and Ministry of Environment, to actively support the overseas expansion of promising startup companies.
Under the slogan "Start Up, Together," the event was attended by over 200 people, including Vice Minister Kim Seong-seob from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, officials from the nine ministries, Congressman Kim Dong-ah from the Trade, Industry, Energy, SMEs, and Startups Committee, and representatives from the Korea Institute of Startup and Entrepreneurship Development (KISED) and various lead organizations for the programs, as well as companies participating in the 2025 global accelerating support project.
At the launch ceremony, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups introduced its achievements and best practices in supporting startups, emphasizing the importance of inter-agency collaboration. It also provided information on inter-agency collaborative startup support projects, such as the global accelerating support project and Challenge! K-Startup, and announced the project promotion plans for this year. During the networking session that followed, officials from relevant ministries and lead organizations, along with participating companies, communicated through questions and answers regarding business items, global expansion plans, and aspirations.
In particular, this year, the nine ministries will participate in the "global accelerating support project" to provide tailored support for the global expansion of 148 promising startup companies. The "global accelerating support project" is aimed at supporting promising startups by providing domestic and international accelerating programs and funds for overseas expansion, thereby backing the international growth of these startups. Notably, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups plans to enhance specialized support, focusing on the U.S. market, which is rich in AI infrastructure and leads the global market, to boost the growth and international competitiveness of domestic artificial intelligence (AI) startups.