Ministry of SMEs and Startups

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                      
Nov. 26, 2024                                     
                                                  
Ministry of SMEs and Startups Hosts Foreign Founders Lunch Meetup

SEJONG – The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS, Minister OH Youngju) held a “Foreign Entrepreneurs Lunch Meetup” (hereinafter referred to as the “meetup”) on November 25 (Monday) at the Seoul Global Startup Center. About 40 foreign entrepreneurs attended the event, which provided an opportunity for open discussion on inbound policies, including the operation of the Global Startup Center and ways to boost investment in foreign entrepreneurs.

The Global Startup Center, where the event was held, is a comprehensive support center that assists foreign entrepreneurs with domestic settlement and growth, providing aid in visa acquisition, company establishment, partner discovery, and information collection. Since its opening in July, the center has been visited by over 2,000 people. It has also promoted exchange and cooperation with foreign embassies and public institutions more than 10 times and has conducted over 100 professional consultations related to visa acquisition and company establishment, achieving remarkable results.

During today's meetup, in-depth opinions from foreign entrepreneurs were discussed. There was active exchange on various topics, including: 1) strategies to boost investment in foreign enterprises, 2) ways to expand information provision and networking events for local startups, and 3) the expansion of the Global Startup Center's workspace and extension of its operating hours.

Oh Youngju, Minister of SMEs and Startups, stated, “Today's meetup was a meaningful opportunity to hear diverse opinions from foreign entrepreneurs and gain insights into their visions.” She added, “The feedback gathered from the meetup will be actively reflected in the formulation of future support policies for foreign entrepreneurship.”