Lee So-young: “SMEs, too, must be leading players in growth” ... Jump-Up support to be greatly expanded

[Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province — Reporter Lee Jumi]The government will overhaul its “Jump-Up Program” on a major scale starting next year, aiming to nurture 1,500 national champion-level companies by 2030. The number of companies selected each year is expected to more than double, rising from 100 to 220, while the voucher amount is set to increase from 750 million won to 1.5 billion won.
Visiting LK Chem in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, on the 15th, Lee So-young, minister at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS), announced the changes, saying, “In the large-scale investments that are writing the history of Korea’s growth, our SMEs should be proud leading players, not supporting actors to large corporations.”
LK Chem, a specialist in next-generation semiconductor process materials and a participant in the Jump-Up Program, is developing next-generation solar cells, including perovskite thin-film cells.
The minister’s visit is the first stop on “Two Days and One Night in the Field,” a program organized to hear from SMEs, startups and small business owners in regions across the country and reflect their views in policy. Through the 16th, she plans to visit LK Chem, the startup city of Daejeon, the Global Innovation Special Zone in Osong, North Chungcheong Province, a K-beauty company in Sejong, and the Restart Support Center for Small Business Owners in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, in that order.
After viewing the development site for next-generation perovskite thin-film solar cells, the minister called it “impressive” and said, “Film-based thin-film solar technology is also linked to the ‘Seven SEED Projects.’ There’s a lot of discussion in the United States about space-based solar technology.”
After touring the site, the minister held a meeting with representatives of five companies participating in the Jump-Up Program—LK Chem, KL Cube, Youngpoong Electronics, Saehan and Erkos—and strategic partners supporting scale-ups, including Samjong KPMG and Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
Introduced last year, the Jump-Up Program helps promising medium-sized businesses grow into mid-sized companies by entering new businesses and markets. The MSS currently provides selected companies with three years of guidance from professional consulting firms and research institutes, open vouchers worth up to 750 million won, networking opportunities and policy-linked support.
Starting next year, the MSS plans to overhaul the Jump-Up Program and establish a support system tailored to companies’ growth stages, dividing them into three tiers based on revenue. Companies with revenue of at least 10 billion won will be supported through “Jump-Up 100,” which aims to establish a sound management foundation; those with at least 50 billion won through “Jump-Up 500,” which supports entry into new businesses and markets; and those with at least 100 billion won through “Jump-Up 1000,” which supports global expansion. The goal is to nurture 1,500 national champion-level growth companies by 2030.
The plan is also to strengthen policies in five key areas—research and development (R&D), AI transformation (AX), recruitment of outstanding talent, financial support and regulatory reform—to closely link support at every growth stage, from technology development and commercialization to market expansion and global entry.
At the meeting, participating companies described regulatory and management difficulties they face when entering new businesses and exploring overseas markets, and called for expanded government support. Ha Hong, president of Youngpoong Electronics, said, “It is difficult for SMEs to recruit specialists with experience in overseas sales,” stressing the need for labor-cost support to narrow the wage gap between large corporations and SMEs.
The minister stressed, “Starting this month, the MSS will also take part as a lead agency in the ‘Three Mega Projects for Korea’s Great Leap Forward,’ and a representative company able to convey the views of SMEs will also join the review meetings.” She added, “We will build a stronger growth ladder so that SMEs, which serve as the backbone of regional growth engines, can make the leap to mid-sized companies.”

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