MSS to Support Merchant-led Efforts for Safety, Change, and Innovation in Traditional Markets
- Division
- 국제협력담당관
- Date
- 2018.01.18
- Writer
- 소지혜
- File
- Headline
- The MSS will commit KRW 354.1 billion to support programs for traditional market including installation of fire safety equipment, the Hope Project program, and Youth Malls
MSS to Support Merchant-led Efforts for Safety, Change, and Innovation in Traditional Markets
- The MSS will commit KRW 354.1 billion to support programs for traditional market including installation of fire safety equipment, the Hope Project program, and Youth Malls -
In 2018, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS, Minister: Jonghaak Hong) plans to spend KRW 354.1 billion to support merchant-led efforts for safety, change, and innovation in traditional markets. One of the defining features of the ministry’s traditional market support in 2018 is the enhanced coordination between fire safety measures led by traditional market merchants and the support programs of the MSS.
In addition, the ministry will depart from the traditional practice of top-down government support to promote bottom-up innovation of traditional markets that cater to the unique needs of each market.
The specifics of the traditional market support of MSS in 2018 are as follows.
①The MSS will build a comprehensive fire prevention and safety system, which will include fire safety assessment, installation of fire alarms, and maintenance of deteriorated electric equipment.
- The ministry will fully implement its fire safety assessment program; a traditional market with a low safety rating should submit a concrete plan to raise its safety rating to be considered for support programs.
- Moreover, in 2018, the MSS will install IoT-based fire alarms* in markets with low safety ratings (32,000 shops) (KRW 18 billion), and ensure that these advanced alarms are installed across all traditional markets by 2022.
- The efforts to modernize traditional market facilities will go hand in hand with mandatory renovation of facilities with high susceptibility to fire,* and replacement / maintenance of deteriorated electric equipment, which has been identified as one of the main causes of fire in traditional markets.
- In addition, the MSS will prioritize its support programs to favor markets that engage themselves in voluntary efforts to prevent fire, including organization of firefighting groups, use of fire insurances and mutual aid associations, and installation of firefighting and prevention equipment.
②The MSS will launch the Hope Project program to promote ideas that merchants need and want the most.
- In the past, efforts to support traditional markets were implemented under specific projects led by the government, so it was difficult for merchants to implement their own ideas to revitalize traditional markets.
- To address this issue and maximize the room for incorporating merchants’ own creative ideas in market support programs as early as the planning stages, the MSS will reduce the items excluded from support programs. It will also provide support packages that bring together various projects that merchants want (25 markets).
③The MSS will launch a new program where it will select markets that have not benefited from market modernization programs despite their high growth potential, and designate them as “First-Step Specialization Markets” (60 markets).
-Through the “First-Step Foundation Development” program (30 markets), the ministry will help the eligible markets to develop the foundation for their specialization efforts by sending local business consultants and providing assistance with service innovations. This support will be provided in connection with the Hope Project program.
- Through the “First-Step Consulting” program (30 markets), the ministry will dispatch experts to markets that experience difficulties with pursuing specialization efforts to help them build strategies and grow basic capabilities, and follow these activities with the help of the First-Step Foundation Development or the Hope Project programs.
④The MSS will also pursue efforts to introduce mandatory “mutual life-improving” agreement between building owners and merchants to prevent excessive raise in rents.
- The ministry plans to introduce the mandatory agreement by starting with the “Youth Mall” program in 2018, and expand it to other programs going forward. It will encourage merchants and owners to enter into voluntary rent agreements and improve the effectiveness of the program by distributing the “Guidelines on Mutual Life-Improving Agreement” and monitoring the implementation of the program.
⑤The MSS will enhance its performance review and assessment activities for the ministry’s support programs by building a Big Data database to track the support given to each traditional market and the outcomes thereof.
- The ministry plans to require markets to provide data on sales, unit prices, number of customers, and parking space usage for five years after the program completion, and exclude markets with low performance from its support programs.
An MSS official commented on the programs, saying: “One of the keys to securing new growth momentum for traditional markets is to enhance their safety control practices and improve their capabilities through voluntary efforts led by merchants themselves. We hope that this shift in market support paradigm will help merchants realize their passion and creativity.”
- The MSS will commit KRW 354.1 billion to support programs for traditional market including installation of fire safety equipment, the Hope Project program, and Youth Malls -
In 2018, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS, Minister: Jonghaak Hong) plans to spend KRW 354.1 billion to support merchant-led efforts for safety, change, and innovation in traditional markets. One of the defining features of the ministry’s traditional market support in 2018 is the enhanced coordination between fire safety measures led by traditional market merchants and the support programs of the MSS.
In addition, the ministry will depart from the traditional practice of top-down government support to promote bottom-up innovation of traditional markets that cater to the unique needs of each market.
The specifics of the traditional market support of MSS in 2018 are as follows.
①The MSS will build a comprehensive fire prevention and safety system, which will include fire safety assessment, installation of fire alarms, and maintenance of deteriorated electric equipment.
- The ministry will fully implement its fire safety assessment program; a traditional market with a low safety rating should submit a concrete plan to raise its safety rating to be considered for support programs.
- Moreover, in 2018, the MSS will install IoT-based fire alarms* in markets with low safety ratings (32,000 shops) (KRW 18 billion), and ensure that these advanced alarms are installed across all traditional markets by 2022.
- The efforts to modernize traditional market facilities will go hand in hand with mandatory renovation of facilities with high susceptibility to fire,* and replacement / maintenance of deteriorated electric equipment, which has been identified as one of the main causes of fire in traditional markets.
- In addition, the MSS will prioritize its support programs to favor markets that engage themselves in voluntary efforts to prevent fire, including organization of firefighting groups, use of fire insurances and mutual aid associations, and installation of firefighting and prevention equipment.
②The MSS will launch the Hope Project program to promote ideas that merchants need and want the most.
- In the past, efforts to support traditional markets were implemented under specific projects led by the government, so it was difficult for merchants to implement their own ideas to revitalize traditional markets.
- To address this issue and maximize the room for incorporating merchants’ own creative ideas in market support programs as early as the planning stages, the MSS will reduce the items excluded from support programs. It will also provide support packages that bring together various projects that merchants want (25 markets).
③The MSS will launch a new program where it will select markets that have not benefited from market modernization programs despite their high growth potential, and designate them as “First-Step Specialization Markets” (60 markets).
-Through the “First-Step Foundation Development” program (30 markets), the ministry will help the eligible markets to develop the foundation for their specialization efforts by sending local business consultants and providing assistance with service innovations. This support will be provided in connection with the Hope Project program.
- Through the “First-Step Consulting” program (30 markets), the ministry will dispatch experts to markets that experience difficulties with pursuing specialization efforts to help them build strategies and grow basic capabilities, and follow these activities with the help of the First-Step Foundation Development or the Hope Project programs.
④The MSS will also pursue efforts to introduce mandatory “mutual life-improving” agreement between building owners and merchants to prevent excessive raise in rents.
- The ministry plans to introduce the mandatory agreement by starting with the “Youth Mall” program in 2018, and expand it to other programs going forward. It will encourage merchants and owners to enter into voluntary rent agreements and improve the effectiveness of the program by distributing the “Guidelines on Mutual Life-Improving Agreement” and monitoring the implementation of the program.
⑤The MSS will enhance its performance review and assessment activities for the ministry’s support programs by building a Big Data database to track the support given to each traditional market and the outcomes thereof.
- The ministry plans to require markets to provide data on sales, unit prices, number of customers, and parking space usage for five years after the program completion, and exclude markets with low performance from its support programs.
An MSS official commented on the programs, saying: “One of the keys to securing new growth momentum for traditional markets is to enhance their safety control practices and improve their capabilities through voluntary efforts led by merchants themselves. We hope that this shift in market support paradigm will help merchants realize their passion and creativity.”