Recognition for Rapid, On-Site Support Achievements for Small Businesses
Gimpo City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Kim Byungsoo) announced on June 30 that it has received the Gyeonggi Regional Small Business Administration Director’s Award in the field of outstanding contributions to small business operations in the Gyeonggi region for the first half of 2025.
This result was achieved as Gimpo City’s various support policies, implemented to revitalize the stagnant local economy and to stabilize and strengthen the competitiveness of small businesses, were recognized as exemplary cases. In particular, the city received high marks for discovering and promoting key local commercial districts through the designation of alley-type shopping areas.
In 2022, Gimpo City attracted the Gimpo Center of the Small Enterprise and Market Service to enable local small business owners to access a wide range of support programs, such as policy fund loans, business improvement assistance, and consulting, in a timely manner. In 2024, the city established a close inter-agency cooperation system through a business agreement focused on strengthening small business competitiveness and revitalizing the local economy.
Additionally, Gimpo City revised the “Ordinance on the Designation of Alley-Type Shopping Areas in Gimpo City” in 2024 to ease the requirements for designation. Starting with the designation of four alley-type shopping areas in 2024 and an additional five in the first half of 2025, the city is actively pursuing expansion policies to revitalize local commercial districts.
Furthermore, as the prolonged economic downturn has increased the number of small business owners struggling to secure funds, the city has annually increased the budget for business stabilization support to meet the growing demand. In this year’s second supplementary budget, Gimpo City allocated an additional 1 billion KRW to the special guarantee fund for small businesses to help alleviate their financial burdens.
To enhance citizens’ perception of local economic recovery, Gimpo City has formed an economic task force team and is implementing practical, on-site support measures for approximately 80,000 small businesses in the city, including: ▲ one-hour free parking at public parking lots, ▲ freezing water utility rates, and ▲ granting tax collection deferrals for taxpayers.
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