On the 28th, Minister of SMEs and Startups Lee So

On the 28th, Minister of SMEs and Startups Lee So-young emphasized at the inauguration ceremony, "Small and medium-sized enterprises should be confident subjects amid the opening of the artificial intelligence era and the huge growth trend." Minister Lee said, "From the stage of designing national strategic industries and large projects, small and medium-sized enterprises should participate as confident subjects, and the fruits of national investment and innovation should flow through the entire industrial ecosystem, not just to large companies."

The biggest challenge facing the Korean economy is polarization, pointing out that there is a gap between large and small businesses, the metropolitan and regional areas, and between large platforms and alley areas. Minister Lee predicted, "The AI transition could widen or narrow this gap," adding, "If ventures and startups lead innovation and small and medium-sized enterprises and small business owners become the agents of change, the AI transition will be an opportunity for a new leap forward."

In addition, he emphasized the removal of unreasonable regulations that press the growth plate of companies. Minister Lee said, "I want to become a 'regulatory reform minister' who stands on the side of the field and innovation and speaks out even if it encounters existing industries or practices," adding, "I will spare no effort to discuss and persuade ministries with regulatory authority." "We need to revive the venture capital function of the capital market and create an ecosystem where anyone with technology and ideas can receive investment, grow, and be properly evaluated in the market," he said. "To this end, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups will actively voice its capital market policies."

Regarding internal organizational innovation, he said, "As the English name is, I want the Ministry of SMEs and Startups to work like a 'start-up in the government'," adding, "I will look at what is better than who said it, and I will be willing to change my mind if there is a better answer."