A Total of 73 Recipients Including One Awarded the Industrial Medal
The Small and Medium Business Ombudsman announced that, in collaboration with IBK Industrial Bank of Korea, it held the ‘2023 Korea Small and Medium Business Regulatory Innovation Awards’ on the 13th at the Grand Ballroom of the 63 Building in Yeouido, Seoul.
This event was organized to encourage the achievements of public officials, public institution and organization representatives, and businesspeople who worked hard for regulatory innovation this year.
A total of 73 awardees were named, including one recipient of the Industrial Medal and two recipients of the Presidential Citation. Park Jeong-su, Senior Research Fellow at the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade, received the Industrial Medal for his long-term policy research and advisory work on regulatory innovation. Since June last year, Senior Research Fellow Park has served as the head of the Regulatory Innovation Task Force (TF) at the institute, acting as a government regulatory innovation policy think tank.
Yang Seung-woo, CEO of Namdo Market, who received the Presidential Citation, is recognized for providing a free transaction platform between wholesale and retail companies, leading the online and contactless transformation of Namdaemun Market. Through Yang’s platform, approximately 50,000 small business owners have gained opportunities to explore new domestic and international markets.
Jin Young-hoon, Administrative Officer at the Ministry of Employment and Labor, was awarded the Prime Minister’s Citation for discovering and improving regulations and difficulties faced by small and medium enterprises in the workforce and safety sectors. Officer Jin persistently persuaded the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Ministry of Justice to link the ‘Foreign Employment Management System’ with visa issuance information, addressing the challenges faced by SMEs that could not know the expected arrival dates of foreign workers under labor contracts.
In his opening remarks, Lee Young, Minister of SMEs and Startups, said, “The Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Ombudsman have listened to on-site voices regarding unreasonable regulations and worked hard to resolve them, continuously discovering and improving regulatory difficulties.” He added, “I hope the moment will come when, with the support and participation of the public, regulations that frustrate businesses are improved, and stories of people ‘working joyfully’ in the field are heard.”
Kim Seong-tae, President of IBK Industrial Bank of Korea, emphasized, “The reason we were able to overcome the complex crises this year was thanks to the efforts of many people dedicated to small and medium enterprises, the backbone of the Korean economy, and regulatory reform.”
Kim Jong-seok, Chairman of the Regulatory Reform Committee, said in his congratulatory remarks, “Regulatory reform is the most effective means to increase the growth potential of the Korean economy, so its importance cannot be overstated. Just as the Small and Medium Business Ombudsman strives for small but meaningful regulatory improvements, the Regulatory Reform Committee will actively support small and medium business owners by resolving larger-scale regulations.”
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