'Proud Small Business Owners' Lee Eui-cheon, CEO of Obio, and Park Yong-soon, CEO of TKC

Selected by the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups

The Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on the 25th that they have selected Lee Eun-cheon, CEO of Obio, and Park Yong-soon, CEO of TKC, as the "Proud Small and Medium Business Owners" for the first quarter of 2025.

From the left, Euncheon Lee, CEO of Obio, and Yongsun Park, CEO of TKC. Provided by the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business Associations.

Obio is a specialized global company in Original Design Manufacturing (ODM) and Original Equipment Manufacturing (OEM) of water purifiers and hot and cold water dispensers. Based on its annual sales and export performance, it was awarded the 50 Million Dollar Export Tower and the Seoktap Industrial Medal on Trade Day.

It exports not only to Japan, the United States, and Singapore but also to Vietnam, South Africa, and Chile. In particular, it holds about a 20% market share in the Japanese market, contributing to increased exports as a global small giant company.

Since founding the company in 1998, Lee Eun-cheon, CEO of Obio, has managed the company while continuously investing in research and development every year to improve technology and quality. More than 30% of the entire workforce is composed of R&D personnel. Based on abundant R&D experience, he established a state-of-the-art smart factory and achieved automation of the entire line inspection process.

TKC is a manufacturer of semiconductor and printed circuit board (PCB) surface treatment automation equipment, having localized foreign equipment to reduce import dependence. With technological innovation in high-precision plating equipment necessary for semiconductor manufacturing processes, it expanded its market share and was awarded the 70 Million Dollar Export Tower on Trade Day last year.

Since founding the company in 1996, Park Yong-soon, CEO of TKC, has been managing as the CEO and dedicated himself to research for developing new technologies in surface treatment plating automation equipment. He upgraded the outdated surface treatment equipment to state-of-the-art equipment, contributing to securing global competitiveness in semiconductor and PCB automated plating equipment.

Meanwhile, the "Proud Small and Medium Business Owner" award is a system by the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups to discover and reward outstanding entrepreneurs who have contributed to national industrial development through management rationalization, export increase, and technological development, aiming to promote exemplary small and medium business owners. The next application period is scheduled for next month.