Minister Hansung Sook: "Young Merchants Are a Key Pillar of the Real Economy... We Will Support Their Continued Growth"

Minister of SMEs and Startups Holds Tea Meeting with Young Merchants at Gyeongdong Market in Seoul
"Youth Entrepreneurship Must Take Root and Grow in Local Communities"

Hansung Sook, Minister of SMEs and Startups, visited Gyeongdong Market in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul on the 26th, where she held a tea meeting with young merchants to listen to their voices from the field.

Minister Han checked how youth entrepreneurship policies are actually working on the ground and personally assessed the real economic conditions for people's livelihoods amid the peak year-end consumption season.

Hansung Sook, Minister of SMEs and Startups, is visiting Gyeongdong Market in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul on the 26th, engaging in conversation with merchants. Ministry of SMEs and Startups

During the tea meeting, young merchants who are active in traditional markets and local commercial districts shared a variety of opinions, focusing on the practical difficulties they face in settling into the market, such as startup and business conditions and securing sales channels.

Minister Han stated, "Young merchants are not simply startup founders, but a vital pillar of the real economy who drive local consumption and expand demand. It is important to build a structure where the challenges taken on by youth enhance market competitiveness, and the accumulated achievements are reinvested into the real economy."

She added, "Youth entrepreneurship should not end at the idea stage, but must be able to take root in local communities and markets and continue to grow. Based on the feedback heard on-site, we will continue to supplement youth entrepreneurship and small business policies in a more practical and integrated way."

Meanwhile, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, in its '2026 Work Plan' announced on the 17th, set out to expand the foundation so that anyone, including young people, can take on the challenge of starting a business. The ministry also identified as key tasks the discovery of 10,000 youth-led local entrepreneurs annually and the fostering of 1,000 local enterprises each year.