The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on the 27th that Minister Oh Youngju held the "Small Business Problems and Solutions Policy Council" 12 times this year, averaging once a month.

The policy council was launched to implement the formation of a regular consultative body for small businesses, which was proposed by Minister Oh during her candidacy as her "first pledge."

Minister Oh Youngju. /Courtesy of News1

Minister Oh presided over the 12th policy council held that day at the Digital Training Center of the Small Business Federation in Mapo-gu, Seoul.

So far, 5 million small business owners have attended the policy council meetings, which have lasted a total of 1,200 minutes.

At the policy council that day, exemplary cases among the issues raised this year were shared. Notable examples included adding childbirth as a reason for the zero-interest loans from the Yellow Umbrella Fund and the deferral of premium payments, and relaxing the number of restricted categories for the Onnuri gift certificate from 40 to 29.

The Ministry plans to continue the "Problems and Solutions Season 2" next year to enhance communication with the field.

Minister Oh said, "This year, the 12 Problem-Solving Councils confirmed once again that the voices from the field should be the starting point and focus of policies," and added, "Next year, we will promote the Problem-Solving Policy Council to create policies that small businesses can feel in practice."