Han Seong-suk, the candidate for Minister of the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises and Startups, stated during the National Assembly confirmation hearing, “I will do my best to create a growth foundation for small and medium-sized enterprises, startups, and small businesses based on the experience and knowledge I have accumulated in the private sector.”
The candidate attended the confirmation hearing for the Minister held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the morning of the 15th and mentioned in her opening remarks, “Small and medium-sized enterprises are the main forces in overcoming the difficulties of the national economy and are a driving force for new economic growth,” adding, “In the face of structural difficulties, our economy needs a bold transition to find a new path.”
She noted, “I will focus on activating domestic consumption, such as stimulating spending, to help small businesses overcome their difficult situations, and I will concentrate on alleviating management burdens,” adding, “I will establish recovery support programs such as business closure procedures and reemployment training to ensure that they can continue to engage as economic entities even if they close their businesses, and I will equip them with self-sustainability in the digital age.”
She also expressed her intention to create conditions for small and medium-sized enterprises to become the center of the artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem. To this end, she outlined plans to collaborate with the National Assembly to establish the ‘Smart Manufacturing Industry Innovation Act’ and promote innovation in the field with tailored AI by industry. She stated that she would also strive to enhance the competitiveness of export small and medium-sized enterprises by discovering new examples such as ‘K-Beauty,’ which recorded the highest exports last year.
The candidate remarked, “Starting a business is not just an individual challenge but the key to our national growth strategy.” She continued, “I will focus on creating an environment for startups to accelerate their growth quickly,” and added, “I will establish a comprehensive plan for the ‘Advancement of Venture Powerhouse,’ which aims for the highest level of venture and startup ecosystem.” This indicates her intention to create an environment where private and foreign funds can flow in.
“Establishing a fair market order” was also emphasized. The candidate stated, “I will correct structural issues directly related to the survival of small and medium-sized enterprises and small businesses, such as unfair transactions and technology theft, and I will improve institutional measures to protect the vulnerable,” and explained, “I will strive to ensure that a trust-based transaction order can be established from the perspective of coexistence.”
She emphasized, “I will do my utmost to lay the foundation for small and medium-sized enterprises and small businesses to conduct their operations safely and grow by listening to and reflecting the voices from the field during the policy implementation process.”
It is expected that issues such as the so-called ‘On Platform Act’ (Online Platform Fairness Act), which she opposed during her tenure at Naver, will arise as points of contention during the confirmation hearing.
The On Platform Act is a bill aimed at preventing the abuse of market dominance by large platforms such as Naver and Kakao and protecting small businesses. President Lee Jae-myung proposed it as a pledge during the presidential election campaign. The candidate, who previously served as the representative of Naver, opposed the On Platform Act, citing ‘reverse discrimination’ as a reason.
A debate over family ‘unlawful gifting’ is also anticipated. The candidate stated that she moved from the apartment in Jamsil-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, where she lived with her mother, to her current residence in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, in March 2022. The opposition party believes that her mother was registered as the head of the household for the Jamsil apartment, suggesting that unlawful gifting occurred.
The candidate said, “My mother is over 80 years old and has no income,” adding, “I didn’t know that in the situation where I was moving, we had to establish a monthly rent relationship between my mother and me.”