The Ministry of SMEs and Startups said on the 6th that it will push a "cross-ministerial regional innovation project to respond to regional extinction."
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) will pursue a project in which local governments design tasks tailored to regional characteristics to respond to the risk of regional extinction, and the central government supports them. Based on regional anchor industries and resources, it plans to bolster domestic demand through corporation growth, talent acquisition, infrastructure expansion, and tourism to reinvigorate local economies.
Relevant ministries, including the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS), the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, will participate. When basic local governments in depopulating or priority-interest areas and rural and fishing villages design tasks suited to local characteristics, the MSS will provide corporation growth programs, and the Ministry of Justice will supply foreign workers. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety will lead locally driven infrastructure development and program operations, while the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries will support tourism promotion and infrastructure-centered linkages, respectively.
Starting this year, the foundation types of anchor industries will be categorized into four: ▲ utilization of natural resources ▲ linkage with innovation resources ▲ concentration of leading corporations ▲ specialization in local brands. Based on regional resources and industrial foundations, the plan is to advance the ecosystem and lay the groundwork for corporations to grow. Local governments can analyze the status of corporations and industries in their regions to set targets for focused support and directions for development, and design tailored projects that match regional strengths.
The development goals were made concrete as increases in sales and employment, and further, as advancement of products, services, and talent, and transition to new industries. In addition, as a measure linked with the Ministry of Justice, beyond the region-specialized outstanding talent (F-2-R), the region-specialized skilled technical worker (E-7-4R) visa will be added, which is expected to help secure field-centered professional personnel.
By linking policy tools from relevant ministries—such as the Regional Extinction Response Fund, the Rural Agreement, Fishing Village New Deal 3.0, the regional travel support program, and the digital tourism resident ID—the plan is to solve the challenges facing each region.
Through this notice, the MSS will preliminarily select about 20 tasks and also provide consulting to improve the effectiveness of inter-ministerial policy tool linkages and the completeness of task design. Afterward, through a joint final evaluation by the relevant ministries, it will confirm the 2027 support targets.
Applications run from the 6th to the 30th. Details about the project can be found on the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) website.