The Korea Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises held a meeting for small business owners invited by Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok on the 26th at its headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul.
This meeting was organized to share the results of the 'Small and Medium Enterprise Express' program operated jointly by the Ministry of Strategy and Finance and the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises, and to discuss the challenges that small businesses and self-employed individuals are currently facing.
Attendees from the Ministry of Strategy and Finance included Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Choi Sang-mok, Deputy Minister Yoon In-dae, and Director-General Kang Gi-ryong, while Lee Dae-hee, Deputy Minister for Planning and Coordination from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, also participated.
About 40 representatives from the small and medium enterprise sector attended, including Kim Gi-moon, president of KBIZ, Lee Jeong-han, president of the Korea Association of Women Entrepreneurs, Song Chi-young, president of the Self-Employed Federation, and Yoon Geon-soo, president of the Korea Venture Capital Association.
Before the start of the meeting, Choo Moon-gap, head of the Economic Policy Headquarters of KBIZ, who was responsible for the 'Public-Private Joint Small and Medium Enterprises Challenge Resolution and Regulatory Innovation Results Presentation,' noted, 'Thanks to the government's efforts, 25 out of the 100 selected on-site regulations by small and medium enterprises have been reflected,' and added, 'To swiftly resolve issues faced by small businesses within 30 days, we plan to establish and operate a government and Small and Medium Enterprise Express hotline going forward.'
During the subsequent meeting, six items, including the prompt promotion of extending the sunset clause for the temporary investment tax credit and the reduction of tax burdens for small enterprises and self-employed individuals under the yellow umbrella insurance, were discussed.
Kim Gi-moon, president of KBIZ, stated, 'As economic uncertainty expands, small businesses, self-employed individuals, and small business owners are going through tough times, and I hope government departments communicate closely with the field,' and urged, 'In the future, the Small and Medium Enterprise Express hotline, operated jointly by KBIZ and the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, should become a one-stop platform where small businesses can report on-site challenges and the government can promptly address them through thorough follow-up management.'