Up to 15 Million KRW Support for Small Business Owners Operating Smart Stores... "Full-Scale Technology Dissemination"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] As the government plans to provide up to 15 million KRW per person to small business owners operating smart stores, the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-based smart technologies in neighborhood stores and supermarkets is expected to accelerate.

According to the industry on the 25th, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Small Enterprise and Market Service will support up to 15 million KRW for 1,500 small business owners who wish to operate smart stores to strengthen their self-reliance and competitiveness.

Small business owners who wish to operate smart stores can apply through the Small Enterprise and Market Service website by the 13th of next month to receive support. Stores that are operating normally as of the application date are eligible.

Smart stores are a project that integrates smart technologies such as AI unmanned liquor vending machines, kiosks, serving robots, and smart mirrors to enable small business stores like neighborhood shops and supermarkets to operate 24 hours a day.

Park Jin-seok, CEO of Dosigongyu Platform, a developer of AI-based automatic liquor vending machines, said, "By utilizing smart technology, stores can significantly reduce labor costs and maximize profits," adding, "With government support, the distribution of smart technologies such as unmanned liquor vending machines in neighborhood stores and supermarkets will become full-fledged."

Dosigongyu Platform, the first domestic company to receive a regulatory sandbox exemption for liquor vending machines in June 2020, was selected as a smart technology supplier and has been operating 25 smart stores and directly managed unmanned convenience stores with support from the Small Enterprise and Market Service since last year.

For example, if Dosigongyu Platform supplies an AI unmanned liquor vending machine priced at 8 million KRW to a small business owner for 7 million KRW, the Small Enterprise and Market Service supports up to 5 million KRW, and the small business owner only pays 2 million KRW.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced in February that it would support 5,500 smart stores through the smart store small business support project, and last month, it recruited industry-specific cooperative organizations of small business owners to support the introduction and management of smart store technologies.