Kim Kyung-hee, Mayor of Icheon, Personally Oversees Priority Purchase of SME Products

Meeting of Heads of 11 Key Departments Held
"Department Heads Must Play Roles for Local SMEs"

Kim Kyung-hee, mayor of Icheon City, Gyeonggi Province, has taken direct charge of prioritizing the purchase of products from local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

On the 2nd, Icheon City announced that it recently held a meeting of key department heads related to the priority purchase of local SME products, presided over by Mayor Kim.

Mayor Kim Kyung-hee and other key department heads of Icheon City are discussing measures to promote the priority purchase of products from local small and medium-sized enterprises.
[Photo by Icheon City]

This meeting was a follow-up measure after Mayor Kim met with SME representatives in March to identify their difficulties. At that time, the companies requested priority purchasing of goods from local businesses to revitalize the regional economy.

The meeting was attended by 11 departments involved in priority purchasing, including those with large budget sizes or capable of reviewing contracts and design documents. The attendees reviewed the current status and progress of SME product purchases and future plans, and sought solutions to existing problems.

Mayor Kim Kyung-hee stated, "If companies continue their efforts to improve quality and reduce costs, along with the sustained interest of public officials, local SMEs will be able to secure sufficient competitiveness not only domestically but also overseas." She urged, "I ask the department heads to actively play their roles so that SMEs, which are relatively vulnerable to economic changes, can build competitiveness."