The 6th win-win retail conference to spread a culture of mutually beneficial cooperation between small and medium-sized enterprises and large retail corporations was held on the 21st at the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises in Yeouido, Seoul.
Co-hosted by the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises, the Korea Department Store Association, the Korea Online Shopping Association, and the Korea Chainstores Association, the event was held under the slogan "Growing small and medium-sized enterprises with win-win cooperation as the driving force."
About 100 people, including Korea Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises Chairman Kim Ki-moon; Ministry of SMEs and Startups Second Vice Minister Lee Byeong-gweon; Korea Fair Trade Commission Vice Chair Nam Dong-il; Korea Department Store Association Chairman Jeong Ji-yeong; Korea Online Shopping Association Chairman Cho Seong-hyeon; Korea Chainstores Association Vice Chair Heo Yeong-jae; and officials from large retail corporations and small and medium retail corporations, attended and discussed ways to expand mutually beneficial cooperation.
Awards were also given to corporations that contributed to spreading mutually beneficial cooperation in the retail sector. Hyundai Department Store and E-MART received commendations from the Korea Fair Trade Commission chair, 11Street received a commendation from the National Policy Committee chair, and Lotte ON received a commendation from the Win-Win Growth Committee chair.
Korea Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises Chairman Kim Ki-moon emphasized, "If leading domestic retail corporations lend their strength to small and medium-sized enterprises and small business owners and join hands together, the value of win-win cooperation will shine even more in the challenging environment of the retail industry."
On the day, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) also announced three key policy directions for win-win cooperation to strengthen the retail industry's mutually beneficial ecosystem. The MSS plans to expand the scope of win-win cooperation to all industries, including online platforms, and to establish a fair transaction order through revisions to the Win-Win Cooperation Act and a win-win growth evaluation. It also plans to expand small business owners' online sales channels through AI and big data-based digital win-win cooperation and to actively support small and medium-sized enterprises' entry into overseas markets through programs that support joint overseas expansion by large and small corporations.
Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) Second Vice Minister Lee Byeong-gweon said, "Win-win cooperation is a core strategy for enhancing corporate competitiveness," adding, "The MSS will actively support the establishment of a win-win cooperation ecosystem as the foundation that underpins the competitiveness of Korea's retail industry."