SMEs ministry selects 15 proactive administration cases for first half

The SMEs ministry said Friday it selected 15 outstanding cases of proactive administration from the first half of 2026 to address field difficulties faced by small businesses. The winners were chosen from 40 submissions received from the ministry's headquarters, regional offices, and affiliated public institutions.

Two projects received the highest honors. The ministry praised the comprehensive revision of standard venture investment contracts, developed through a forum involving investors, startups, and legal experts to resolve unfair terms. Key improvements included separating stock purchase and shareholder agreements, introducing collective consent methods for each funding round, centering standards on convertible preferred stock, improving conversion right refixing clauses, explicitly stating IPO effort obligations, and clarifying limitations on third-party joint liability.

The second top award went to an initiative that resolved management difficulties for plastic processing companies caused by soaring raw material prices linked to instability in the Middle East. The ministry mediated a coexistence agreement between nine major corporations—CJ CheilJedang, Daesang, Nongshim, Lotte Chilsung Beverage, LG Household & Health Care, Sangmidadang Holdings, Starbucks Korea, GS Retail, and Nonghyup Economic Holding's Agricultural Materials Division—and industry associations. This effort induced supply price increases totaling 20 billion won ($14.5 million) for 394 partner companies and secured early payments of 14.97 billion won ($10.8 million).

Three other cases were named excellent, including the consolidation of fragmented information systems into a single login platform and the use of AI to guide policy fund applications. Ten additional cases received commendations for contributions ranging from providing free legal counsel for technology theft victims to establishing a sales receivable insurance network for small merchants worth 220 billion won.

Lee Soon-bae, the ministry's policy planning officer, said the selected cases demonstrated significance by proactively identifying field problems and fostering public-private cooperation to create substantial solutions. He added that the ministry would continue to encourage proactive administration so that employees who take the lead in finding solutions are properly evaluated and rewarded within the civil service culture.