SMEs ministry honors 147 small-business owners at Busan convention

The SMEs ministry said it presented awards to 147 small-business owners and officials at the 2026 Korea Small Business Convention in Busan, the first time the annual event has been held outside the Seoul metropolitan area in its 21-year history.

The ceremony at BEXCO awarded one Silver Tower industrial medal, one Bronze Tower industrial medal, two industrial decorations, seven presidential citations, ten prime ministerial citations and 126 citations at minister and vice-minister level. Ahn Seung-bae, chief executive of Shinyoungju Gas Station, received the Silver Tower medal, while Song Gyeong-deok, chief executive of Sanha Restaurant, took the Bronze Tower; Kwon Hyeok-hwan of Skin Blue and Kim Young-heung of Samyoung ENG each received an industrial decoration.

The ministry moved the convention to Busan and added a product exhibition and sales fair this year to help small businesses reach new customers, replacing a format centered on displays in the capital region. Some 153 small companies from across the country are showing food, household goods and crafts at the fair, organized around zones for 50 regional specialty products, 48 young merchants and 23 long-established businesses, while seven industry associations — among them the makeup and beauty society, the tattooists' association, the cooking masters' association, the pet association, the florists' association, the drone industry federation and the confectionery masters' association — run hands-on programs at the venue.

The convention, whose theme is "A Greater Korea Made by Small Business Owners," is co-hosted by the SMEs ministry and the Busan city government and organized by the Korea Federation of Micro Enterprise and the Small Enterprise and Market Service. It runs through Saturday, with side events including a forum on livelihoods and innovation in Busan, labor and legal training for owners and a live-commerce day.

"The 8.11 million small-business owners are a sturdy pillar of the livelihood economy and the root that sustains local communities," Second Vice Minister Lee Byung-kwon said in congratulatory remarks, pledging that the government will spare no policy support so that owners can sharpen their competitiveness and take a leap forward as confident economic players.