Ministry of SMEs and Startups Supplementary Budget of KRW 1.69 Trillion Passes National Assembly… Total Focus on Exports, Small Merchants, Startups, and AI Transformation

During the second week of April (10th–13th), the policy financing landscape for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups was abuzz. The core driver was the passage of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' (hereinafter MSS) 2026 1st supplementary budget through the plenary session of the National Assembly, finalizing a total budget of KRW 1,690.3 billion. Four pillars form the framework of this supplementary budget: responding to export corporate damage caused by the prolonged Middle East war, stabilizing the livelihoods of small merchants, creating a startup ecosystem for youth employment, and artificial intelligence (AI) transformation for regional manufacturing companies. Additionally, plans for a comprehensive overhaul of the evaluation system to restore trust in policy financing operations were made official on the same day, forecasting major changes spanning both funding …