"Minister Oh Young-joo said she is paying attention and making efforts"
"Only a very small number of businesspeople are enjoying it, but they can do well"
Ivy Leaders lead related areas such as air traffic control electronic strips
Jung Kwang-cheon, chairman of the Inno-Biz Association, stated regarding the establishment of the government-led integrated organization for innovative companies, the 'Innovative Small and Medium Enterprises Federation (Federation),' that "everyone agrees on the necessity."
Chairman Jung made this remark at a press event held on the 30th at the headquarters of Ivy Leaders in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, which he manages, adding, "We need to refine it by sharing opinions on external circumstances."
Jung Kwang-cheon, President of the Inno-Biz Association (CEO of Ivy Leaders), is delivering a greeting at a press invitation event held on the 30th at the Ivy Leaders headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. [Photo by Inno-Biz Association]
The Federation is an organization that the Inno-Biz Association, the Main-Biz Association (Small and Medium Enterprise Management Innovation Association), and the Korea Federation of SMEs are trying to establish. Innovative companies are SMEs that have achieved clear technological and managerial innovations and have received 'innovation certification' from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. Their goal is to scale up their companies to mid-sized enterprises, and they argue that targeted government support for innovative companies is necessary to achieve this.
However, government support for scaling up has been focused on venture companies with less than three years of operation, and innovative companies have been excluded from policy discussions. When the government holds corporate growth events, the Venture Business Association is often invited, but the Inno-Biz Association and Main-Biz Association are frequently excluded.
Since May last year, the establishment of the Innovative Small and Medium Enterprises Federation was promoted centered on former Minister Lee Young of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, but the launch of the Federation was canceled after the former minister was replaced at the end of last year, and discussions on its establishment have been stagnant to date.
From the early stages of discussions on the Federation's establishment, there were criticisms that its role overlaps with that of the Korea Federation of SMEs. As the presence of the Federation of SMEs grew, there was also analysis that the Ministry of SMEs and Startups was promoting the Federation as a new policy partner to counterbalance it.
Upon his inauguration as chairman of the Inno-Biz Association in February, Chairman Jung emphasized the necessity of establishing the Federation, saying, "Innovative companies have the identity of SMEs, but if the Federation is established, it will be very helpful from the perspective of associations supporting companies."
When asked if he had any conversations with Minister Oh Young-joo of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, he replied, "I told the minister, and she said she is interested and making efforts," adding, "(A central role) will be necessary."
He also shared his reflections over the five months since taking office as chairman of the Inno-Biz Association. Chairman Jung said, "These days, only a very few businesspeople seem happy," but added, "Nevertheless, because there is a willingness to empathize and solve difficulties together, I believe we can do well. That is what I think is the reason for establishing the association."
He expressed his determination to play a role in helping Inno-Biz companies expand overseas. He said, "(Inno-Biz companies) are technology-centered, so they can focus on innovative research and development (R&D) and challenge overseas markets. For example, while advanced countries may be difficult, they have the capability to engage and create business in middle- and low-income countries," emphasizing, "I want to play a model role by producing tangible, living results."
He also mentioned the vision of Ivy Leaders. Chairman Jung introduced, "In the aviation sector, it is not only about convenience and economy but also about safety and security, which are complicated aspects. Even in Europe, they were surprised to see Ivy Leaders' technology. There were comments like, 'Is Korea preparing for such things?'" He added, "As a small and medium enterprise, we have various limitations such as manpower, but since there are quite a few regions where we can apply our solutions, we are preparing this as another process."
Ivy Leaders is a strong small and medium enterprise that supplies programs for designing instrument flight procedures compliant with international regulations to government agencies such as the Seoul, Busan, and Jeju Regional Aviation Offices and the Air Traffic Headquarters. It leads the related field with a system that significantly improves the efficiency of air traffic control operations compared to existing electronic strips for air traffic control, and 80-85% of its employees are developers.
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