Han Sung Sook Responds to President Lee's Criticism of "Low Technology Theft Fines": "Will Raise Above 2 Billion Won"

Agreement on Negotiation Rights for SME Suppliers

In response to President Lee Jaemyung’s criticism that the penalty for technology theft by small and medium-sized enterprises is too low, Hansung Sook, Minister of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, has decided to consider raising the standards.

Hansung Sook, Minister of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, is speaking at the '2026 Work Report Press Briefing' held at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups building in Sejong City. Ministry of SMEs and Startups

On the 17th, at the '2026 Work Report Press Briefing' held at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups building in Sejong City, Minister Han stated, "It seems we have been too confined by the existing standards," and added, "I understand the President’s remarks as a directive to boldly expand, so we plan to actively consider ways to raise the standards compared to now." She continued, "Even if the penalty is set at a maximum of 2 billion won (20 billion won), in reality, that amount is rarely imposed, so I believe we need to move in the direction of increasing it."

Earlier that morning, at the 2026 Ministry of SMEs and Startups work report held at the Sejong Convention Center, President Lee pointed out, "We need to respond properly to technology theft, but a maximum penalty of 2 billion won (20 billion won) is too meager." As part of its measures to eradicate technology theft, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced plans to raise the level of sanctions against companies that steal technology from recommendations to orders, and to impose a maximum penalty of 2 billion won (20 billion won) for technology theft occurring in subcontracting relationships.

Minister Han also expressed general agreement with President Lee’s remarks that small suppliers should be given avenues to negotiate with large corporations. President Lee had previously stated, "If companies in the same industry that supply goods or act as distributors to certain companies can negotiate collectively, and in extreme cases, take collective action, it would help balance the power dynamics. Currently, under the Fair Trade Act, collective actions and collective bargaining by companies are fundamentally prohibited, but this has resulted in a situation where the strong exploit the weak and unfair trade is almost encouraged or forced."

Minister Han responded, "I share the awareness of the issue that small and medium-sized enterprises and large corporations are not able to achieve a balance of power," and added, "I have been asked to come up with ideas on how to solve this problem and report back, and based on that, I believe we should move forward proactively." Park Yongsoon, Director General for SME Policy at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, explained, "Currently, we are discussing with the Fair Trade Commission ways for small and medium-sized suppliers to negotiate with large corporations at the association level, and earlier this year, Assemblyman Kim Won-yi of the Democratic Party of Korea sponsored a bill granting associations the right to request negotiations. The details are still under discussion."