2024-07-17 13:48:47
“Self-employed people are drivers. Local governments, financial institutions, and various ministries should stick together. Teamwork should be done quickly like a ‘pit stop.’ It is useless to be late in helping people in need.” (President Yoon Seok-yeol)
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Small Business Market Promotion Agency have strengthened their teamwork ahead of the implementation of the ‘Comprehensive Measures for Small Business Owners and Self-Employed Persons’.
Minister Oh Young-joo urged swift policy implementation to provide timely support to small business owners and the self-employed who are experiencing difficulties, and expressed his will to work hard to ensure that no one misses out on support due to ignorance.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups held a ‘Small Business Comprehensive Measures Implementation Field Inspection Meeting’ at the Small Business Administration building in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon on the 15th. A total of 40 people attended, including Minister Oh Young-joo, heads of regional SME administrations, Small Business Administration presidents, regional headquarters directors, and Shinbo Central Federation directors.
The meeting was arranged to check the readiness status of local SME offices, Small Business Corporation headquarters, and regional headquarters/centers so that the ‘Comprehensive Measures for Small Business Owners and Self-Employed Persons’ announced by the government on July 3 can be implemented quickly in the field.
Minister Oh Young-joo said, “If the implementation of the measures is not smooth, it will be difficult to achieve the original intended purpose,” and added, “Even a good measure is useless if it is implemented late. It is important to provide urgent support as soon as possible, and there should be no cases where people do not receive (support) because they are unaware of our measures.”
Based on this, Sojin-gong announced the implementation plan for the key tasks that had been prepared so far. The plan included: △financial support, △easing the burden of fixed costs, △expanding the new start fund, △increasing the usability of Onnuri gift certificates, △supporting scale-up, and △supporting overseas expansion.
Kwon Dae-soo, Vice President of Small Business Corporation, said, “We are currently working on reorganizing the system so that policy fund repayment extension applications can be accepted in August, and we are also relaxing the support requirements for large loans to reduce the repayment burden on small business owners, including those with medium credit who have been in blind spots.” He added, “We will thoroughly educate employees at branches of banks that handle the reform to ensure that the details of the reform are accurately conveyed, and we plan to strengthen publicity through direct mailings to small business owners.”
The regional Small Business Headquarters also announced preparations and trends. The Seoul Gangwon Regional Headquarters reported the progress of building the ‘One-Stop Platform for Small Business Policy Information’ included in the plan.
The platform will be designed to be easily accessible to small business owners and provide them with all the necessary services, including finance, job creation, and management stability, all at once.
According to the detailed operation plan, the Small Business Administration said that in July (Stage 1), it will provide information on policies for small business owners centered on the Small Business Support Center, and from August (Stage 2), it will provide guidance services for small business owners through the SME Integrated Call Center. The final goal (Stage 3) is to establish a dedicated channel for small business owners within the SME Integrated Call Center in January of next year.
Lee Jeong-wook, head of the Seoul regional headquarters, said, “We have completed the platform construction for the first time and plan to share (test) more diverse and in-depth information with each related organization.” He added, “After the announcement of the measures, the number of phone inquiries at the Seoul Center has been gradually increasing to over 100 per day and the number of visitors has also been gradually increasing to over 10. We are also planning to hold on-site information sessions so that no one misses out on support due to ignorance.”
Lee Bong-hee, head of the Gwangju-Honam regional headquarters, said, “We have established a collaborative system with the Korea Employment and Economic Promotion Agency, the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund, and local governments to ensure that financial support can be provided quickly,” and “We are also maintaining good ties with industry groups such as the Korea Federation of Restaurant Associations. We are also working to open a separate civil complaint window (related to the support system) in the future to ensure that no class is left out.”
The National Small Business Support Center participated in the video conference and shared difficulties encountered during the process. Many centers said that after the announcement of the plan, inquiries about policy funds and electricity bill support have skyrocketed.
Park Young-nam, head of the Ulsan Southern Small Business Support Center, said, “The number of phone calls and visitors to the center is increasing due to the expansion of the target for the electricity bill support project,” and “In order to provide customized support, the center is understanding and familiarizing itself with the support policies and projects, and is planning additional on-site promotion.”
Minister Oh Young-joo has repeatedly urged Sojin Gong to actively implement policies.
Minister Oh said, “We must provide the support that is truly needed to those who are truly struggling and in dire need as quickly as possible. It is very important to take this message that delay is useless and carry it out effectively. This depends on the capabilities of the Small and Medium Business Administration.” He added, “Continuous periodic inspections are necessary during the implementation process. I think it is also very important to consider how to further improve. I urge everyone to work together once again.”
(Seoul = News 1)
2024-07-17 13:48:47