Seoul Transportation Corporation Achieves No. 1 in Local Public Enterprise SME Product Purchases

Corporation Achieves Largest Purchase Among Local Public Enterprises in 2024:
49.78 Billion KRW in SME Products and 5.6 Billion KRW in Products Made by People with Severe Disabilities
SME Product Purchases Increase by About 10% Compared to 2023,
Purchases of Products Made by People with Severe Disabilities Triple

Baekho Seo Yok Transportation Corporation President

Seoul Transportation Corporation (President Baekho) announced that in the previous year, it purchased 497.8 billion KRW worth of products from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and 5.6 billion KRW worth of products manufactured by people with severe disabilities, achieving the largest purchase amount among 164 local public enterprises.

Over the past year, the corporation purchased a total of 497.8 billion KRW in products from SMEs. This represents the largest amount among local public enterprises and marks an increase of approximately 10% from the 452 billion KRW in SME product purchases in 2023. In addition, 87% of the total purchase amount was spent on SME products, significantly exceeding the statutory purchase rate for SME products, which is set at 50%.

In particular, the purchase of products made by people with severe disabilities showed rapid growth. While the purchase volume for such products was only 1.9 billion KRW in 2023, it increased to 5.6 billion KRW in 2024, representing a threefold rise.

The corporation has also worked to diversify and revitalize the range of products manufactured by people with severe disabilities, as evidenced by winning the Encouragement Award at the "2024 New Product Ideas Contest for Products Manufactured by People with Severe Disabilities."

This increase in performance was driven by the corporation-wide implementation of the "Co-Prosperity Public Procurement Plan." Since last year, the corporation has established and implemented this plan to support market access and mutual growth for SMEs and socially disadvantaged enterprises.

The Co-Prosperity Public Procurement Plan is an upgraded policy that goes beyond simple, passive public procurement and instead strategically and proactively leads public procurement. Its main components include the introduction of a target management system, the establishment of collaboration and performance management systems with partner companies, among others.

To promote and ensure the sustainability of public procurement, the corporation actively participates in activities related to public procurement, such as consulting with specialized agencies, procurement consultations, and exhibitions. In March, it participated in the "Korea Public Procurement Expo 2025," hosted by the Public Procurement Service, to explore ways to support market access for SME products and outstanding products incorporating new technologies.

Baekho, President of Seoul Transportation Corporation, stated, "Public procurement is more than just purchasing; it is an important opportunity to provide market access for SMEs and socially disadvantaged enterprises, while also supporting mutual growth." He added, "The corporation will continue to fulfill its social responsibility as a public institution and make ongoing efforts for co-prosperity."