[Feature] Suncheon City Launches Close Support for Small Businesses... All-Out Effort for Livelihood Recovery

Comprehensive Measures Covering Finance, Consumption, Digital Transformation, and Education

Suncheon City Hall. Provided by Suncheon City

As high interest rates, prolonged inflation, and shrinking consumer spending continue to challenge local businesses, Suncheon City has launched comprehensive support measures to help small business owners recover and revitalize the local economy.

Suncheon City announced that it will actively implement 16 projects across four key areas-business stability, consumption promotion, digital transformation, and capacity building-under the slogan “Close Support for Small Businesses, Empowering Suncheon.” The city’s policy direction goes beyond short-term financial assistance, aiming to create a structure where small businesses can independently enhance their competitiveness.

First, to ease financial burdens, Suncheon will expand its financial support for small businesses to a total of 20 billion KRW. Through general and special loan guarantees, around 680 businesses will have access to low-interest loans, and interest subsidies of up to 5% per year will help reduce actual financial costs. In particular, the city will increase the scale of special guarantees for small business owners with low credit ratings, addressing financial blind spots and improving access to funding.

Efforts to strengthen the social safety net in times of crisis will also be pursued. The city will provide incentives for new enrollments in the Yellow Umbrella Mutual Aid program and reimburse employment insurance premiums for sole proprietors, helping to ensure a minimum level of livelihood and providing a foundation for restarting in the event of business closure or income loss.

Policies to restore local consumption will be significantly expanded as well. Suncheon plans to issue 200 billion KRW worth of Suncheon Love Gift Certificates to support sales recovery for traditional markets and neighborhood businesses. In addition to regular discounts, special discount sales will be offered during holidays and disasters to increase citizens’ engagement and strengthen the virtuous cycle of local consumption.

Support for the public delivery app “Meokgaebi” will also be expanded. The city will cover the full delivery fees for participating merchants and run discount events linked to Suncheon Love Gift Certificates, as well as special promotions during holidays and festivals, to boost sales for small businesses in the restaurant and delivery sectors. By actively promoting the lower commission fees compared to private delivery apps, the city also expects to alleviate cost burdens for business owners.

Digital transformation policies aimed at securing mid- to long-term competitiveness are also noteworthy. Through the Digital Small Business Training Project, Suncheon will support the introduction of unmanned and semi-automated systems such as kiosks, table ordering, and digital signboards, thereby reducing labor costs and improving business environments.

Additionally, the city will distribute AI-based customized business solutions to build a data-driven management environment that includes analysis of foot traffic, sales trends, and industry competitiveness. By supporting everything from commercial district analysis and sales forecasting to customer management, the city aims to move away from experience-based management toward more systematic decision-making.

Education and field-oriented support systems will also be strengthened. The Smart BIZ Academy will offer step-by-step customized programs, ranging from basic business education in tax, accounting, and marketing to digital and AI utilization training. The Suncheon Small Business One-Stop Support Center will serve as a hub where business owners can apply for various support programs, receive consultations, and access business consulting services all in one place.

A Suncheon City official stated, “This small business support policy focuses on building an ecosystem where local businesses can fundamentally sustain themselves, rather than simply injecting financial resources. We will continue to actively reflect feedback from the field and do our utmost to restore livelihoods and revitalize the local economy with policies that citizens can truly feel.”