Jang Youngjin, President of K-Sure: "275 Trillion Won in Trade Insurance to Be Supplied This Year... Strengthening Finance for Defense, AI, and Renewable Strategic Industries"

"Support for SMEs and Mid-Sized Companies Expanded to 114 Trillion Won"
"Full Commitment to US Investment and Export Diversification"

Jang Youngjin, President of the Korea Trade Insurance Corporation, is delivering a greeting at a press conference held near the Government Sejong Complex on the 28th.

Jang Youngjin, President of the Korea Trade Insurance Corporation, announced that the corporation will provide trade insurance worth 275 trillion won this year to respond to global trade uncertainties. This marks another all-time high, following last year’s record.

At a New Year’s press conference held near the Government Sejong Complex on January 28, President Jang stated, “Uncertainty in the trade environment is increasing due to the intensifying US-China conflict and the spread of protectionism,” adding, “We will support our companies’ exports and overseas expansion through trade insurance.”

Support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-sized companies will also be expanded. President Jang emphasized, “SMEs and mid-sized companies are the backbone of our economy,” and noted, “After supporting a record 109 trillion won last year, we plan to increase the support scale to 114 trillion won this year.” Support for SMEs has grown annually, from 77 trillion won in 2022, to 87 trillion won in 2023, 97 trillion won in 2024, and 109 trillion won in 2025.

Win-win finance involving large corporations and financial institutions will also be strengthened. President Jang explained that sufficient financial support will be provided to outstanding SMEs and mid-sized companies recommended by large corporations and banks that have contributed to the trade insurance fund, in order to restore supply chain competitiveness. The export supply chain enhancement guarantee, previously limited to automobiles, steel, and shipbuilding, will be expanded to include industries such as platforms, food, beauty, and defense. In addition, export package guarantees based on bank contributions will be increased to provide low-interest, high-limit financing.

Special guarantees for companies facing temporary financial difficulties and struggling to access institutional finance will also be significantly expanded. President Jang noted that the scale of special guarantees jumped about 30 times, from 7.3 billion won in 2024 to 214.3 billion won last year, and stated that 300 billion won will be supplied this year to address blind spots in export finance.

The corporation will also actively support the increasing investment in the United States and export diversification following the Korea-US tariff agreement. President Jang said, “We will leverage our 30 years of accumulated project finance expertise and human and material infrastructure to help domestic companies secure orders originating from the US.” Trade insurance supply to emerging markets with high growth potential, such as ASEAN and Latin America, will also be expanded from 62 trillion won last year to 66 trillion won this year.

Support for strategic future industries such as defense, artificial intelligence, and renewable energy will be reinforced. President Jang revealed plans to pursue CEO-level marketing linked to summit diplomacy with the goal of making Korea one of the world’s top four defense exporters and to support the establishment of local production bases in response to localization demands from importing countries. Tailored support will also be provided for the entire lifecycle of the artificial intelligence industry and for financial needs in the renewable energy sector.

The corporation will also promote work efficiency and the provision of new services through digital innovation. President Jang highlighted that the organization has completed a restructuring to elevate the AI-related division to headquarters level, and emphasized plans to integrate diverse information into a platform and apply AI to direct products to enhance customer satisfaction.

President Jang stated, “Last year, we contributed to achieving 700 billion dollars in exports through record trade insurance support,” and added, “This year as well, we will do our utmost to ensure the continued success of our exports through trade insurance.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.