Expanding the Role of Overseas Diplomatic Missions as Platforms to Support Global Expansion of SMEs

2nd Policy Consultation Meeting between the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on December 19 in Seoul that they held the "2nd Policy Consultation Meeting between the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," where they reviewed the achievements of supporting global expansion for small and venture businesses and discussed directions for cooperation in 2026.

This meeting was held to regularly review and coordinate the implementation of cooperation between the two ministries in supporting the global expansion of small and venture businesses. Officials from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, KOICA, the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency, and the Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship Development attended the meeting.

Park Yongsun, Director of the Small and Medium Business Policy Office at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, and Park Jonghan, Economic Diplomacy Coordinator at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, along with other participants of the "2nd Policy Consultation Meeting between the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," are taking a commemorative photo. Ministry of SMEs and Startups

The participants shared this year's achievements by each organization in supporting the global expansion of small and venture businesses and discussed ways to strengthen practical and systematic support for local business activities amid the changing global environment.

The two ministries shared support activities and plans for the overseas expansion of small businesses in promising fields such as K-beauty, bio, IT, and eco-friendly industries, carried out by overseas diplomatic missions, through the newly introduced "Overseas Diplomatic Mission Collaboration Project for Global Expansion of Small and Venture Businesses" this year.

Subsequently, they focused on discussing ways to utilize overseas diplomatic missions as local cooperation and response hubs for the global expansion of small and venture businesses and to strengthen policy and project linkages among the two ministries and related agencies.

They agreed to strengthen the collaboration structure so that each organization can divide roles based on their expertise and strengths and generate tangible results through strategic collaboration models that reflect the characteristics of each diplomatic mission, such as designating K-beauty hub missions.

In addition, in the event of emergencies such as instability in overseas situations, overseas diplomatic missions will be responsible for assessing local conditions and consulting with relevant authorities, while the Ministry of SMEs and Startups will review support for affected companies in management and export matters, further detailing cooperation measures between the ministries.

Park Yongsun, Director of the Small and Medium Business Policy Office at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, stated, "This policy consultation meeting between the two ministries is an important cooperation channel that underpins the global achievements of small businesses and startups," adding, "We will continue to expand tangible results through field-oriented cooperation."