Vice Minister ROH Yongseok of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS, Minister HAN Seongsook) held a meeting with embassy officials on Thursday, July 31, at the Seoul Government Complex.

This meeting was held to explain the overall plan for the “APEC Small and Medium Enterprises Ministerial Meeting(SMEMM)*” scheduled to take place in Jeju in September and to request active participation and cooperation from governments of each country for its successful hosting.

* (Overview) From September 1 (Monday) to September 5 (Friday), 2025, the event will consist of the SME Ministerial Meeting and the Korea SME Innovation Show, among other official and side events.

Vice Minister ROH emphasized, “The 'APEC SMEs Ministerial Meeting' is a meaningful event held in Korea again after 20 years, serving as a significant occasion to discuss the present and future of domestic and international SMEs together.” He added, “Solidarity and policy exchange among APEC member countries are more important now than ever.”

* In 2005, the Ministry hosted the APEC SME Ministerial Meeting, attended by over 2,000 people from 21 countries (Daegu, August 24 to September 2, 2005).

He also stated, “SMEs are key players driving sustainable growth and innovation in the global economy,” adding, “We hope this meeting will lay the foundation for practical cooperation among APEC member countries.”

The SMEMM themed "SMEs as Engines of Sustainable and Inclusive Growth," plans to focus discussions on innovation cases using artificial intelligence (AI) and other technologies, policy efforts by each country to address population decline and climate change, and collaboration between large and small businesses as well as public-private partnerships for inclusive growth.

The SMEMM will include official schedules such as the ministerial meeting and working group meetings, along with 10 diverse side events, including K-Startup Challenge and Global Venture Investment Summit.

Vice Minister ROH stated, “We expect this meeting will accelerate cooperation with member countries.” He added, “We plan to continue communication through meetings with other regional APEC member countries and visits to embassies.”