The Ministry of SMEs and Startups put forward sales expansion and recovery, along with improvements to the policy support system, as the core directions of this year's policies for small business owners. It also presented a blueprint to strengthen competitiveness by boosting AI- and digital-based capabilities and to reinforce tailored support for business operators at the crisis stage.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) on the 16th held the "2026 small business policy briefing" at the Small Business Digital Education Center in Mapo District, Seoul, chaired by Second Vice Minister Lee Byeong-gweon, and announced these policy directions.
First, to expand sales for small business owners, it plans to strengthen business capabilities based on AI and digital technologies and to build a foundation for growth by expanding win-win cooperation with platforms and large corporations. It will also systematically foster local startup corporations that support region-based entrepreneurship and growth.
It also signaled a plan to link traditional market policies with culture and tourism. There are more than 1,400 traditional markets nationwide and about 220,000 stores, but visitor numbers are on the decline. To overcome this, it plans to develop tourism content that highlights unique characteristics and to boost visitation by linking with local festivals. In particular, the "Companion Festival," which begins in early April, will be run as an event in which local governments, communities, large and small corporations, and traditional markets all participate, by strengthening links with local events.
The method of providing policy funds will be improved from the existing first-come, first-served approach to one that prioritizes reviewing small business owners at the crisis stage. For small business owners who fail to apply for funds due to a lack of information, it will also establish an AI- and data-based "small business policy fund guide" service.
An official at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) said, "We will monitor signs of crisis among small business borrowers and guide them to tailored support programs," adding, "We plan to create an integrated support system for recovery and debt adjustment."
It will also expand programs to support recovery after business closure. The support limit for store demolition costs will be raised from a maximum of 4 million won to 6 million won, and the scale of employment support linked to the National Employment Support Program will be increased from 2,000 to 3,000 people. For commercialization funds for restarting a business, the self-pay ratio will be reduced from the current 100% to 50% to ease the burden.
It will promote policies to strengthen the social safety net. To enable self-employed people to receive unemployment benefits upon closure, the number eligible for employment insurance premium support will be expanded from 31,000 to about 42,000, and it will promote policies to reduce welfare blind spots in response to the increase in elderly self-employed. In fact, the number of self-employed people aged 60 or older increased from 1.85 million in 2020 to 2.22 million in 2025.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) plans to enhance data-driven administration to improve the efficiency of small business policies. It will monitor signs of crisis by analyzing sales and credit information for about 3 million small business borrowers and will precisely analyze the management status of small business owners by linking private card data with government statistics.
In addition, to identify policies that small business owners can feel in the field, it will promote the "sure happiness for small business owners (Sohwakhaeng) project." Through an intake center, it will receive suggestions from small business owners and identify and review implementable improvement tasks through consultations with relevant ministries and experts.
Lee Byeong-gweon, Second Vice Minister of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS), said, "Existing small business policies have been protection-centered, but considering changes in internal and external environments, we need to expand the scope of support—such as growth and the social safety net—while strengthening existing policies," adding, "We will reinforce demand-oriented, tailored policies that meet small business owners' expectations."