SEMAS Appoints Six, Including Hong Seokcheon, as Honorary Directors to Revitalize Local Commercial Districts

Experts in Regional Commerce and External Cooperation
Serving as a Bridge Between Field and Policy

The Small Enterprise and Market Service announced on September 2, 2026, that it has introduced the “Honorary Director System” in order to more extensively incorporate the voices of small business owners from the field into its policies and management, and to further spread the diverse values of small businesses.

The Small Enterprise and Market Service appointed six individuals with high social credibility from various fields as honorary directors. These include broadcaster Hong Seokcheon, a self-employment expert and contributor to the revitalization of the Itaewon alley commercial district; Ryu Eunhye, a French government-certified cultural interpreter; Kim Hyunsung, advisory member of the National AI Strategy Committee; Kim Eunhee, director of the Citizens’ Coalition for Walkable Cities; Yang Junho, co-representative of the National Network for Regional Circular Economy; and Shin Gyucheol, head of education at the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Retailers and Self-Employed.

At the honorary director appointment ceremony held on the 1st at Dream Square in Seoul, broadcaster Seokcheon Hong (from the left), Eunhee Kim, director of the Citizens' Coalition for Creating Walkable Cities, Taeyeon In, chairman of the Small Enterprise and Market Service, Suhngcheol Shin, head of education at the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business Owners, and Hyunseong Kim, advisory committee member of the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy Committee, gathered for a commemorative photo. Small Enterprise and Market Service

Going forward, the honorary directors are expected to serve as a bridge connecting small business policies and the field. They will engage in a wide range of activities across promotion, policy, external cooperation, and regional commerce sectors, utilizing their expertise and experience throughout the small business sector.

In Taeyeon, Chair of the Small Enterprise and Market Service, stated, “Together with the honorary directors, we will listen even more broadly to voices from the field, and connect expertise and experience from diverse areas to small business policies. We will do our utmost to uncover and promote the values of small businesses and to bolster dynamic local commercial districts.”

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