Ministry of SMEs and Startups Recruiting Candidates for "SME and Startup Financial Support Awards"

Expansion of Awards for Contributors Preventing Unfair Third-Party Intervention in Policy Finance

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups is recruiting candidates for awards to encourage employees of financial institutions who have contributed to resolving financial difficulties faced by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and small business owners, as well as to promote mutually beneficial finance.

On May 29, the ministry announced that it would publicly recruit candidates for the "31st SME and Startup Financial Support Awards" until July 3.

The SME and Startup Financial Support Awards are the leading awards in the financial sector that recognize individuals who have contributed to economic revitalization and the stabilization of livelihoods by providing smooth financial support to SMEs and small business owners.

This year's awards will actively seek out exemplary support cases that are directly felt by SMEs and small business owners struggling due to issues such as the Middle East conflict. The scope of awards will also be expanded to include those who have contributed to preventing unfair intervention, such as illegal policy finance brokers.

The number of awards in the category for preventing third-party unfair intervention in policy finance will be increased from 3–5 last year to 5–7 this year. The aim is to encourage those who have worked to improve transparency and fairness in the execution of policy funds.

The total number of awards is tentatively set at 77, including government awards and ministerial commendations. Of these, the 12 government awards—including orders of merit, presidential commendations, and prime minister's commendations—will be finalized after consultation with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

Applications and nominations for the awards will be accepted from June 15 to July 3. After a merit review at the end of August and public verification and eligibility checks in September, as well as deliberation by the merit review committee, the final awards ceremony is scheduled to be held in December.

Detailed information, including application forms and required documents, can be found on the website of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and in the announcement on the Korean government decorations website.

Minister Han Sung-sook of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups stated, "We plan to actively seek out contributors who have worked in the field to resolve financial difficulties for SMEs and small business owners despite challenging economic conditions," adding, "We hope that, through these Financial Support Awards, the culture of mutually beneficial finance and field-oriented policy finance will spread even further."

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