1,500 women CEOs gather in one place... Sharing management know-how and seeking growth

[Financial News] Some 1,500 women entrepreneurs from across the country gathered in Jeju to share management strategies and explore ways for businesses to work together. 
 According to industry sources on the 26th, the Korea Women Entrepreneurs Association (KWEA) held the “2026 WE-CON Nationwide Women CEO Management Training” at the Jeju International Convention Center. 
 Launched in 1999, the Nationwide Women CEO Management Training is an annual event aimed at strengthening women entrepreneurs’ management capabilities and building networks among businesses. This year’s event, under the theme “The Light That Brightens the World, 3.37 Million Women-Owned Businesses Leading the Future,” runs for two days from the 26th. It is hosted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, organized by KWEA, and sponsored by Jeju Special Self-Governing Province.
 The opening ceremony that day was attended by KWEA Chair Park Chang-sook, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Governor Wi Seong-gon, and Vice Minister of SMEs and Startups No Yongseok, among others. The event featured a vision proclamation ceremony and a presentation on Jeju’s business support policies, followed by special lectures on management strategies, presentations of successful women-owned businesses, and networking among participants.
 The speakers were Moon Seong-hu, CEO of Moon Lead Lab; Byun Hyung-gyun, CEO of the Chungbuk Center for Creative Economy and Innovation; and Kim Won-gil, CEO of Vainer. Their respective topics were leadership, the major transformation driven by AI, and corporate management experience, and they shared approaches to responding to changes in the business environment as well as firsthand experience.
 Side events were also arranged to support women-owned businesses in finding sales channels and promoting their businesses. Participating companies can showcase their products and services at promotional booths and receive advice on difficulties they encounter in running their businesses at business consulting booths.
 This year’s event also adopted the brand “WE-CON (Women Entrepreneurs Conference/Convention).” It combines “Women Entrepreneurs,” meaning women in business, and “WE,” meaning “us,” with the ideas of connection (“CONnect”) and content (“CONtents”). The aim, organizers explained, is to create a platform where women entrepreneurs share experience and information and build business opportunities together. 
 On the 27th, a regional tour program involving 21 local chapters from across the country will follow. Participants are scheduled to visit traditional markets in Jeju and other sites to see the local economy firsthand and help revitalize local commercial districts.
 KWEA Chair Park Chang-sook said, “When the experience and capabilities women CEOs have built in their respective roles come together, they create new opportunities, and those achievements should lead to growth for women-owned businesses as a whole.” She added, “We will develop this into Korea’s leading platform for women entrepreneurs, going beyond simple networking to identify new business opportunities and share the results.”
[email protected] Lee Jumi Reporter