The Korea SMEs and Startups Agency (KOSME) said Tuesday it held an on-site meeting, billed as “KOSME that visits and solves problems,” at the Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, facility of KMF.
KOSME said the session marked the fifth such visit this year by Chairman Kang Seok-jin. Since January, Kang has visited the Gwangju Regional Headquarters, the Western Gyeongnam Branch, the Overseas Expansion Division and the Seoul Western Branch, holding talks with companies in areas including the Gwangju High-Tech National Industrial Complex, domestic shipbuilding, exports and future industries such as artificial intelligence.
The Cheonan meeting was organized to support small and midsize companies preparing for risks tied to the Middle East war and for artificial intelligence transformation (AX). Attendees included Kang; Lee Jeong-gu, head of the South Chungcheong “Strongly Studying Businesspeople Association”; and representatives from eight member companies.
Participants shared concerns including difficulties related to exports to the Middle East and discussed possible responses. They cited rising logistics costs, sharp increases in raw material prices, growing uncertainty in exports, labor shortages and the burden of adopting AI transformation.
One company official said delays in exports to the Middle East had led to a steep drop in sales and higher shipping costs, creating what the official described as a severe management crisis and an urgent need for government support. Another official said companies agree on the need for AI transformation but are struggling to adopt it because of upfront investment costs and a lack of specialized workers.
KOSME said it will strengthen follow-up support tailored to on-the-ground needs, including policy financing and export vouchers, measures to ease logistics-cost burdens and assistance in responding to export contracts, to help companies overcome the crisis and advance digital transformation.
Kang said small and midsize companies are facing heavier management burdens amid an uncertain trade environment, including the Middle East situation, and the accelerating pace of AI transformation. “Based on what we hear in the field, we will prepare practical support measures and take the lead in resolving business difficulties through ‘KOSME that visits and solves problems,’” he said.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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