President Lee Calls for Expansion of 'Startup for All' Support Amid Economic Restructuring

President Lee Jae-myung stated that the scale, intensity, and frequency of the government's startup support project, 'Startup for All,' should be increased.
During the 27th Cabinet meeting and the 12th emergency economic review meeting held at the Blue House today (the 23rd), President Lee addressed Minister Han Seong-suk, the head of the relevant ministry, saying, "I understand that there are more participants than expected, the enthusiasm is high, and there are many good business items."
"Isn't the South Korean economy being restructured around high-tech industries?" President Lee said. "A characteristic of high-tech industries is that they create very few jobs, so ultimately, we must focus on startups."
He continued, "While the path to increasing actual employment opportunities may not be simple, we must continue to increase the proportion of startups," adding, "There are many reasons why the U.S. economy is improving, but isn't one of the biggest reasons the high number of startups in the high-tech sector?"
President Lee emphasized, "As we consider how to utilize additional tax revenue, improving the startup environment to secure growth potential is a major part of that," and added, "We need to be more bold in increasing support."
Regarding the leak of personal information of 5,000 successful applicants to the 'Startup for All' program, Minister Han Seong-suk said, "There were shortcomings this time. We must properly address the deficiencies in operations and provide more bold support where needed to actively promote startup assistance."
Minister Han had also apologized for the personal information leak yesterday (the 22nd) and promised to thoroughly examine the entire process of system construction and operation.
President Lee also advised Minister Han, saying, "Restructuring industries or expanding startups will be much easier when you are Prime Minister than when you are a Minister," adding, "Just because you are leaving the position of Minister of SMEs and Startups does not mean your responsibility disappears."
This remark is interpreted as being made with the understanding that Minister Han has been nominated as the next Prime Minister and is awaiting a parliamentary confirmation hearing.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.