Minister Han Seong-sook of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups visited the Small Enterprise & Market Service (SEMAS) headquarters in Daejeon on the 11th to check on on-site conditions for merchants and hear difficulties in the policy implementation process.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) recently organized a roundtable to hear on-site opinions and review policy support directions in response to changes in the business environment for small merchants, such as rising raw material prices, increased logistics costs, and weakened consumption due to shifts in the international situation.
Executives and staff from the SEMAS headquarters and regional centers attended the roundtable and shared on-site difficulties in the policy implementation process for small merchants and necessary items for institutional improvements. They also discussed on-site response measures to changes in the external environment.
Minister Han Seong-sook said, "As recent changes in external conditions, such as the situation in the Middle East and rising oil prices, can burden the management of small merchants, we will check the on-site situation and prepare necessary support," adding, "The success or failure of small-merchant policy depends on the role of the institutions that implement policy on the ground, so we will reflect the voices from the field and strengthen policy responses for stabilizing small-merchant management and restoring people's livelihoods."