Samjong KPMG and PeopleLife Sign Business Agreement to Revitalize the SME M&A Market

Samjong KPMG has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with PeopleLife to actively collaborate in the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) mergers and acquisitions (M&A) sector.

On the 26th, at PeopleLife's 'CEO Clinic T Alley Lounge,' Lee-Dong Kim, Head of Financial Advisory at Samjong KPMG (second from the right), and Do-Kyo Koo, CEO of PeopleLife (third from the right), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for collaboration in the field of mergers and acquisitions (M&A).
[Photo by Samjong KPMG]

On the 30th, Samjong KPMG announced, “At the signing ceremony held on the 26th at PeopleLife’s ‘CEO Clinic T Alley Lounge,’ the two companies agreed to cooperate mutually to discover companies interested in M&A, foster experts, and revitalize the market.”

Recently, the SME industry has faced growing concerns about business continuity and succession due to the aging of business owners. According to the Woori Financial Management Research Institute, the proportion of CEOs aged 60 and above in the domestic manufacturing sector surged from 14.1% in 2012 to over 33.5% in 2022, more than doubling. The average age of managers in SME manufacturing is 55.3 years.

Through this strategic business agreement, PeopleLife will leverage its strengths in the corporate sales market to identify companies with M&A demand, while Samjong KPMG will provide services such as business valuation, M&A brokerage, and post-merger integration (PMI) tailored to the companies’ needs. Samjong KPMG will also play a role in enhancing the capabilities of PeopleLife’s corporate sales experts through specialized M&A training, lectures, and seminars.

Kim Idong, Head of the Financial Advisory Division at Samjong KPMG, stated, “By collaborating with PeopleLife, a leader in the corporate sales market, we aim to promote the healthy development of the SME M&A market,” adding, “We will strive to strengthen the sustainability of competitive SMEs and stabilize the industrial foundation.”

Goo Dogyo, CEO of PeopleLife, said, “This cooperative framework will serve as an opportunity for both companies to grow to the next level,” and added, “We plan to expand the corporate consulting sector and provide more specialized consulting services so that corporate clients can receive optimal solutions, leading the corporate sales M&A market.”