Chairman Kim Hak-do: "Actively Supporting Domestic SMEs to Lead the Global E-Mobility Market"

Jungjingong, Jeonnam Yeonggwang E-Mobility Regulatory Free Zone Meeting

Kim Hak-do, Chairman of the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency, is inspecting the production site at Daepung EV Motors in Yeonggwang, Jeonnam, three days ago.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Cheol-hyun] The Small and Medium Business Corporation (Chairman Kim Hak-do, hereinafter referred to as SBC) announced on the 3rd that it held an on-site meeting with small and medium venture companies in the e-mobility sector, Yeonggwang-gun, and related local organizations at Daepung EV Automobile in Yeonggwang, Jeonnam. E-mobility refers to 1-2 person mobility devices powered by electric energy for daily transportation and logistics delivery purposes.

On this day, the meeting was attended by 12 people including Kim Hak-do, Chairman of SBC; Kim Jun-seong, Mayor of Yeonggwang-gun; Lee Min-sook, President of Donggang University; Cho Byung-chul, Chairman of the Korea Smart E-mobility Association; Noh Gi-han, Head of the Jeonnam Headquarters of the Korea Automotive Research Institute; and Kim Jun-seok, CEO of Daepung EV Automobile. The attendees discussed ways to revitalize the e-mobility industry in Yeonggwang-gun and shared opinions on the difficulties faced by companies on site and directions for policy support.

Kim Jun-seok, CEO of Daepung EV Automobile, said, "E-mobility is an industry in the early stage of market formation, and it is a situation where government support is urgently needed for local companies to acquire global competitiveness and increase market share," requesting practical support measures. In response, Chairman Kim Hak-do said, "We will continue communication to resolve on-site difficulties by forming a consultative body with local governments and related organizations," adding, "In particular, we will strengthen non-face-to-face overseas expansion support projects and expand logistics support such as maritime transport using national shipping companies, and make every effort to restore the export vitality of small and medium venture companies."

After the meeting, Chairman Kim visited the production site of Daepung EV Automobile. Established in 2011, Daepung EV Automobile has continued repairing and selling agricultural machinery and expanded its business to the small electric vehicle manufacturing sector in 2016 to overcome market competition overheating and has continued to grow. To keep up with the rapidly increasing production orders, a new factory was built this year in the Daema Automobile Industrial Complex in Yeonggwang, Jeonnam. Chairman Kim said, "We plan to actively support relay-style assistance for regulatory free zone operators so that domestic small and medium venture companies can acquire global competitiveness and lead the global e-mobility market," emphasizing, "SBC will strengthen field-centered support for fostering the Jeonnam e-mobility industry and support for overseas market entry to lead the success of the Korean New Deal."