SMEs ministry releases Co-Prosperity Company Awards vote results

The SMEs ministry said that 14,404 people joined a public vote for this year's Co-Prosperity Company Awards, helping select candidates for government honors. Award recipients are scheduled to be announced Nov. 26. The government has presented the honors annually since 2004 at Shared Growth Week to recognize individuals and organizations that contribute to cooperation between large and small businesses.

The Aug. 5-13 ballot generated 86,424 votes. Participants chose three of 15 individual nominees and three of 15 organizational nominees.

The top five individual candidates, listed alphabetically, were Park Sang-won, a senior manager at Kia; Jang Cheol-ung, an executive vice president at Samsung Display; Wang Min-seok, a department head at Korea Western Power; Kim Gi-hong, a department head at Korea Aerospace Industries; and Jeong Hui-seop, an executive director at Hyundai Motor. The top five organizational candidates were LG Household & Health Care, KB Financial Group, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, Korea Electric Power and Korea Midland Power. The ministry said the individual candidates had worked with partner companies on joint technology development, expanding raw-material purchases, supply-chain competitiveness and employment stability. It said the organizational candidates' efforts included technology and product localization, overseas expansion with partners, a delivery-price linkage system, policy financing and contributions to funds.

"This vote, in which the public directly selected co-prosperity companies, is meaningful because it is a venue for companies and citizens to create shared growth together," said Lee Eun-cheong, director general for shared growth and cooperation policy at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. "I hope the result will be a meaningful milestone in spreading shared growth throughout society."

The vote result will account for 50 points in selecting government-honor candidates and will be combined with a separate 50-point evaluation by the public recommendation review panel to determine final candidates and award grades. The ministry said the criteria cover results from co-prosperity systems and programs, opening new markets and businesses through cooperation, voluntary cooperation programs and length of service. Following deliberation by the public merit review committee, award recipients are scheduled to be announced at the Shared Growth Week ceremony on Nov. 26. The 2026 program plans about 97 honors, including 17 government awards and 80 ministerial commendations.