"Women Entrepreneurs on the Global Stage"... Opening of the 3rd Women Entrepreneurs Week

Event Held to Explore Global Expansion
Ministry of SMEs and Startups to Actively Support

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Korea Women Entrepreneurs Association announced on the 1st that they held the '3rd Women Entrepreneurs Week Opening Ceremony' at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul. Domestic women-owned businesses number 3.14 million, accounting for 40% of all companies.

At the opening ceremony of the 2nd Women Entrepreneurs Week held last year, Lee Jeong-han, president of the Korea Women Entrepreneurs Association, is delivering the opening address.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

This Women Entrepreneurs Week was co-hosted by women economic organizations such as the Korea Women Entrepreneurs Association, Korea Women Venture Association, Korea Women Inventors Association, IT Women Entrepreneurs Association, and the Korean Federation of Women’s Science and Technology Associations, as in the previous year.

This year’s theme is “K-Women Enterprises Opening New Opportunities on the Global Stage.” The event was promoted with the meaning that women-owned businesses, which have grown domestically, are seeking global expansion for greater growth.

Although women-owned businesses have often been evaluated as lacking globalization due to a low export experience ratio, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups plans to actively promote export commercialization of women-owned businesses in connection with the “SMEs and Startups Globalization Support Measures” announced in May.

In particular, to signify advancement onto the global stage, representatives from foreign chambers of commerce in Korea, female diplomats in Korea, export women entrepreneurs, and young venture entrepreneurs attended, totaling 400 participants.

Government awards totaling 13 honors, including the Gold Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit, were also presented to exemplary women entrepreneurs. The Gold Tower recipient was Jang Seon-yoon, CEO of Gomundang Printing, recognized for growing the company from 3 billion KRW in sales after inheriting the family business in 1999 to 54.6 billion KRW through facility automation, overseas market expansion, and new employment of 76 people.

Lee Jeong-han, president of the Korea Women Entrepreneurs Association, emphasized in her opening remarks, “Let us leverage the strengths of women entrepreneurs?delicacy and resilience?to grow together and unite our efforts for the development of the Korean economy.”

Minister Oh Young-joo of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups stated, “For the sustainable development of our country’s economy, it is very important for women-owned businesses to expand overseas beyond the domestic market. The Ministry will select fields where women have strengths to foster export strategic items and build a platform supporting global expansion through a global one-team involving 25 overseas diplomatic missions, providing local information and legal solutions to actively assist women-owned businesses in going global.”