Nowon District Upgrades Its "Small Business Problem-Solver" Program

Support System Strengthened as Project Enters Third Year
Full-Scale Activities Begin Next Month
New Labor Management Training Introduced

Nowon District in Seoul (District Mayor Oh Seungrok) is significantly upgrading its "Visiting Small Business Manager" project, now in its third year. On January 15, the district announced that it will operate the manager project, which has served as a problem-solver for small business owners over the past two years, with a more advanced support system this year.

A small business manager is explaining the support project to small business owners at Sangye Central Market. Provided by Nowon District.

Over the past two years, five small business managers visited 17,158 businesses-83% of the approximately 20,000 stores in the area-providing tailored support information. Thanks to these efforts, the district achieved the third-highest performance in Seoul in the first half of last year in the Seoul Credit Guarantee Foundation’s "Safe Account Project."

This year, three managers selected through an open recruitment process will begin activities in three designated zones starting February 2. The activity period will last for about eight months, from February to September.

The district is further strengthening its on-site response capabilities this year. A new system has been introduced to revisit businesses where sufficient consultation was difficult due to the owner’s absence or ongoing business operations. The "At-a-Glance Small Business Information" website and the KakaoTalk channel "Nowon District Small Business Information" will be revamped, and both online and offline promotional systems will be fully reorganized, including advertisements on the back of business license tax bills and distributing informational leaflets when issuing permits and licenses.

The most significant change is the introduction of labor management capability training. This new program will focus on practical labor issues that small business owners face in the field, such as weekly holiday allowances, employment contracts, and payroll management. It will be structured as a comprehensive course that also covers tax, social media marketing, and policy funding. The training will be held every Tuesday in March, for a total of four sessions, and small business owners who wish to participate can apply through the Nowon District Office website in February.

The district will also provide practical support through various linked initiatives, such as equipment replacement for aging facilities, business management consulting, and programs for business closure support like the "New Path Opening Closure Support Project" and the "Hope Return Package Project."

The Visiting Small Business Manager project is designed to assist small business owners who are excluded from support due to lack of information or complicated administrative procedures, by having managers in each region visit businesses directly, listen to their concerns, and guide them to tailored support policies.

Oh Seungrok, Mayor of Nowon District, stated, "I am grateful for the dedication of the small business managers who have handled thousands of on-site consultations in both the heat and cold over the past two years," adding, "We will ensure that no small business owner is left out of support benefits, and Nowon District will continue to be a reliable problem-solver to strengthen the self-sufficiency of local commercial districts."