Jeju Small Businesses Seek New Sales Channels Among Tourists at Hamdeok Beach, With 35 Booths

【Financial News Jeju = Reporter Jeong Yong-bok】 Thirty-five booths showcasing products and startup brands from Jeju small businesses will be set up at Hamdeok Beach on the 4th and 5th. The event aims to connect tourists with purchases of local products and will also feature a cooking competition and consultations on support policies for small businesses.
According to Jeju Special Self-Governing Province on the 4th, the “2026 Jeju Regional LOSO Festival,” hosted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and organized by the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Federation of Small Business, will run for two days starting that day in and around the lawn park at Hamdeok Beach in Jocheon-eup, Jeju City.
LOSO is short for “Local Small Owners,” meaning small business owners in local communities. The festival aims to give small businesses that make use of local resources and distinctive products an opportunity to meet new customers, and to connect tourist spending with neighborhood commercial districts.
The event is being held to coincide with Small Business Day on November 5. Small Business Day is a statutory commemorative day designated under the Enforcement Decree of the Framework Act on Micro Enterprises. Events to highlight the role of small businesses in the local economy and support their business activities are held across the country.
The festival has divided its exhibition and sales spaces according to businesses’ years of operation and the characteristics of their products. It will operate 35 booths in total: 15 in the Premium Zone showcasing outstanding local products, 10 in the Baeknyeon Zone for long-established businesses, and 10 in the Startup Zone for early-stage businesses.
The Premium Zone will exhibit and sell products and services made using Jeju specialties and local resources. Visitors will also be able to take part in programs that let them experience the products firsthand.
The Baeknyeon Zone will feature government-designated Baeknyeon Stores and Baeknyeon small manufacturers, as well as local businesses rooted in the region. Baeknyeon Stores are selected from small businesses outside the manufacturing sector that have operated for at least 30 years, based on assessments of factors including competitiveness and growth potential. The Baeknyeon small manufacturer designation is for small manufacturers with at least 15 years of accumulated skilled technical expertise.
Businesses are not automatically designated simply because they have operated for a long time. The Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Small Enterprise and Market Service support selected businesses with certification plaques, brand promotion and expanded sales channels both online and offline.
The Startup Zone will include prospective entrepreneurs and small businesses and startups that have been in operation for no more than seven years. It will offer exhibition and hands-on spaces where they can present new products and services and gauge visitors’ responses.
Separating established businesses from early-stage startups reflects the fact that the sales-channel support they need differs depending on their stage of business. Support for established businesses will focus on raising product awareness and expanding sales opportunities, while support for startups will focus on gauging consumer responses to their products.
A commercial district innovation competition using Jeju ingredients will also be held. Ten teams—three university student teams and seven teams from the general public—will present dishes developed with local ingredients and compete in cooking skills.
At “Bbang Bbang Day,” which brings together local bakeries and confectionery businesses, bread made in Jeju will be exhibited and sold, with samples available for visitors to try. The event directly introduces consumers to products made using local ingredients and manufacturing and processing techniques.
The Policy and Partnership Zone will provide information on support programs for small businesses offered by Jeju Province and related organizations. Business owners can learn about the support programs and receive consultations suited to their needs.
The “2026 Jeju City Small Business Unity Expo” will also take place at the same venue, hosted and organized by the Jeju City Small Business Federation and sponsored by Jeju City. The expo will have 29 additional booths, with product sales, hands-on activities and cultural performances.
The event will also feature a performance by Hamdeok High School’s traditional wind-and-percussion ensemble, performances by local artists, and an original show inspired by Hamdeok Village’s traditional anchovy-fishing culture. The opening ceremony will be held at 2:30 p.m. on the 4th.
Jeju Province is targeting local residents and tourists as consumers at this event. The approach is to introduce products from local small businesses to visitors to tourist attractions and give them opportunities to make actual purchases.
Kang Ae-suk, director of Jeju Province’s Economic Vitality Bureau, said, “Through this event, we will raise awareness of local small businesses’ products and brands and expand their sales channels, while also ensuring that spending by residents and tourists flows into neighborhood commercial districts.”
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