62 SME Export Consortia to Aggressively Target Overseas Markets This Year

Participation in Overseas Exhibitions and Export Consultations
Year-Round Recruitment of Participating Companies for Each Consortium

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on January 5 that it will form a total of 62 export consortia for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) this year to begin expanding into overseas markets.

An export consortium is a program that supports SMEs wishing to export by product category or target market, allowing them to form a consortium and jointly target local markets through exhibitions, business meetings, and other activities. Taking into account the increasing uncertainty in the global trade environment this year, such as the strengthening of protectionism, the Ministry increased the budget by 3.9 billion won (24.5%) compared to the previous year to actively support SMEs in diversifying both export markets and product categories.

In October last year, the Ministry announced the recruitment of export consortia for 2026. Out of 199 consortia that applied, 62 were selected based on a focused evaluation of their strategic approach and competitiveness in local market development activities. During the selection process, the Ministry also considered demand, as well as balance by product and market. By product category, 46.8% of the selected consortia are in the consumer goods sector, such as beauty and fashion, while 38.7% are in industrial goods, including steel, machinery, metals, and electrical products.

Each export consortium will now recruit participating SMEs. Information about each consortium and participation applications can be found on the 'SME Overseas Exhibition Portal' website. Once the composition of each consortium is finalized, a three-stage overseas market development process will be carried out: preliminary preparations such as local market research conducted domestically, dispatch to participate in exhibitions and other local activities, and post-management such as inviting buyers for business meetings.

Lee Soonbae, Director General for Global Growth Policy at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, stated, "The export consortium is a representative policy in which SMEs wishing to enter overseas markets jointly establish market development plans, with the government providing support. We will systematically support the expansion of achievements in core markets and pioneer emerging markets with country-specific targeting strategies."