"Sustainable growth, let us create it together. Prosperity, for all of us! Cheers!"
This was a toast by Minister Han Seong-suk during the welcoming dinner at the APEC Ministerial Meeting on Small and Medium Enterprises on the 4th.
Minister Han explained the significance of holding the 2025 APEC Ministerial Meeting on Small and Medium Enterprises in Jeju, Korea, during a dinner with officials from APEC member countries that evening.
Minister Han noted, "This year's Ministerial Meeting on Small and Medium Enterprises is a place where we all need to discuss the era's task of 'sustainable and inclusive growth' together," adding, "I believe it is a forum to reaffirm the importance of our small and medium enterprises and ventures and startups as key players in solving these era-defining issues and to seek new roles."
Minister Han also emphasized, "Korea is the only developing country among the member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) that has ascended to the ranks of the world's top 10 economies," stating, "The story of Korea's growth is a model that shows how a country that started from the ruins of war just half a century ago achieved industrialization, democratization, and digitalization."
She stated, "Behind Korea's growth, it was possible not only because of large corporations like Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor, but also due to the sweat and challenges of countless small and medium enterprises and startups that breathed and collaborated with them."
Minister Han expressed, "Through this APEC Ministerial Meeting on Small and Medium Enterprises, I hope to share with all of you the experiences that enabled Korea to leap from a developing country to a strong economic nation, as well as the know-how that small and medium enterprises have established as the driving force of innovation." She added, "This year, we have prepared networking opportunities for policymakers and corporations to gather together not only at the Ministerial Meeting on Small and Medium Enterprises but also through various events in startups, ventures, technology, and small business sectors."
Minister Han concluded, "I hope that the delegation members will take the time to meet and interact directly with participants from the innovation ecosystem, such as ventures and startups."