Small Business Owners "Please Lift Regulations"... Ministry of SMEs and Startups Launches 'Regulation Breakthrough' (Comprehensive)

On the 20th, 'Breaking Down Alley Regulations in Daily Life' Held
Directly Delivered to Relevant Ministries After Practical Review

The government has taken steps to eliminate regulations in everyday alleyways. This is to remove hidden regulations in daily life and create a growth foundation for small business owners.

On the 20th, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups held the event "Breaking Down Everyday Alleyway Regulations" at Tipstown S1 in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

The theme of this meeting was unreasonable regulations related to small business owners and self-employed individuals. Specifically, discussions were held on six areas including barrier-free kiosks, pet-friendly cafes, and traditional liquor.

Minister Lee Young of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (center front row) is taking a commemorative photo with attendees after the "Breaking Down Alleyway Regulations in Daily Life" event held on the 20th at Tipstown S1 in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. (Photo by Ministry of SMEs and Startups)

Small Business Owners: "Please Lift the Regulations"

Small business owners say that barrier-free kiosks are a "burden." According to the Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Prohibition of Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities, barrier-free kiosks must be mandatorily installed in all business establishments except those with a floor area under 50㎡ starting January 2025. The problem lies in the "cost." According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare in March, the installation cost of barrier-free kiosks varies from approximately 16 million to 30 million KRW depending on the convenience facility content and software. Compared to the general kiosk price of 2 million to 5 million KRW, additional costs are incurred.

At the meeting, Ma Okcheon, CEO of Bebier Confectionery, said, "It would be good to expand technical support to reduce kiosk production costs or to exempt the mandatory installation of barrier-free kiosks if face-to-face payment counters are provided in stores." She added, "While it is natural to create a world where physical barriers are removed and everyone can live well, it would be better to create harmonious policies considering the position of small business owners."

There is also a strong call to expand the recognized range of main ingredients for traditional liquor. Due to raw material production area regulations, if raw materials produced outside adjacent areas are used, the product is not recognized as traditional liquor. Small business owners argue that such regulations hinder competitiveness through diverse product development. A representative case is a traditional liquor company using rice from Ganghwa that gave up developing Makgeolli with Jeju tangerine peel added. Ko Seong-yong, CEO of Hangang Brewery, emphasized, "Allowing other regional ingredients besides the main ingredient would lead to the development of various traditional liquors."

Small business owners also call for easing regulations on operating cosmetic refill stores. Under current law, selling cosmetics in small quantities requires registration as a customized cosmetics sales business and the presence of a customized cosmetics compounding manager, but the low pass rate of the compounding manager qualification exam makes it difficult to hire staff. Lee Joo-eun, CEO of Almem Store, said, "We are conducting a pilot operation as a special project to manage hygiene through education without a compounding manager." She added, "As a result, there were no complaints from January to May last year, and we passed hygiene inspections at each stage, safely providing refills."

Citizens Also Participated in the Discussion

General citizens also participated in this event. Considering that the discussion topics were regulations closely related to daily life, a citizen jury of about 50 people was formed. An OX quiz was also conducted to help the general public approach the regulations more easily.

The event was held publicly, allowing not only the citizen jury but also general citizens to freely express their opinions. A university student said, "I agree with the value of barrier-free, but for sustainability, the essential purpose of companies, which is 'profit,' must be considered." He added, "If a contest at the local government level is held to find ways to achieve barrier-free while considering low costs and the profits of self-employed people, valuable ideas might emerge."

An attendee who said they were studying the traditional liquor manufacturing process said, "Traditional liquor has been continuously regulated for various reasons and could not develop, but it seems to have recently progressed." He added, "I support regulatory reform so that various traditional liquors come out and when Korea is mentioned, Makgeolli and others come to mind."

The contents discussed that day will be reviewed in practice and directly delivered to related ministries.

Minister Lee Young of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups is giving a lecture on the topic "Discussing the 2023 Policies of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups" at the Korea Employers Federation Forum held at the Chosun Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the 29th of last month. Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

Minister Lee Young Shows Determination to 'Break Down Regulations'

Lee Young, Minister of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, showed strong determination to "break down regulations." Minister Lee explained, "If a gift arrives at home with a very pretty ribbon, you would try to untie it, but if it doesn't come off easily, you might just cut it with scissors."

He also introduced the anecdote of Alexander the Great cutting the 'Gordian Knot,' known to be difficult to untie, with a sword, saying, "Trying to untie something is an effort, but sometimes you don't even have time to try and you know it won't come undone." He added, "We must be faithful to the purpose."

Minister Lee emphasized, "President Yoon Seok-yeol has instructed to prioritize resolving 15 killer regulations that hinder industrial investment. Two of these fall under the authority of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups: regulations on venture startups and alleyway regulations for small business owners and self-employed."

He continued, "This matter goes beyond the Office for Government Policy Coordination and is finally reported to the President," expressing expectations, "I think we can break down regulations more vigorously."