The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (Minister Han Sung-sook) announced on the 10th that it had announced a consolidated public notice for the "2026 Export Support Program for SMEs, Startups, and Small Businesses," worth a total of KRW 686.7 billion. Through next year's export support program, the Ministry plans to strengthen SMEs' ability to adapt to the changing trade environment, enhance export competitiveness, and establish a growth ladder system to foster global SMEs.
The 2026 export support program will consist of five major areas: export vouchers, overseas market entry support, consumer goods export strategy development, global scale-up of startups, and conversion of small business owners into export companies.
First, the export voucher program has been expanded by KRW 22.6 billion compared to the previous year, reaching KRW 150.2 billion. Specifically, the tariff response voucher for responding to US tariffs will be integrated with the general voucher program, allowing participating companies to access specialized services such as tariff damage consulting and securing alternative supply chains. The tariff response package will be granted an additional limit of up to KRW 50 million per company, bringing the total support to KRW 150 million. Furthermore, the expanded international transportation cost support has been extended, and comprehensive logistics services, including warehousing and packaging, as well as sample transportation fees, have been included.
Second, to diversify export markets, the budget for supporting overseas exhibitions and consultations has been expanded to 19.8 billion won. The e-commerce export market entry program, which supports entry into global shopping malls and the establishment of overseas company websites to boost online exports, has also been increased by 5 billion won. Furthermore, support for postal EMS and fulfillment services will be expanded, and the Qingdao Global Business Center (GBC) will be fully operational in the first half of next year.
Third, export strategies will be developed for the four major K-consumer goods sectors (beauty, fashion, lifestyle, and food). By 2030, 500 promising SMEs will be identified and, in collaboration with private anchor companies like Olive Young and Musinsa, support will be provided through smart factories, investment IR, and intellectual property matching. Furthermore, a pilot project for regional K-beauty export hubs will be launched, with plans to expand to eight regions by 2030.
Fourth, four new companies, including OpenAI and HP, are joining AroundX, a global corporate collaboration program designed to support startups' global scale-up. The number of companies eligible for global acceleration support will also increase to approximately 180.
Fifth, a new "Global Small Business Development Program" has been established to support the transformation of small business owners into export-oriented enterprises. This program, valued at 9.52 billion won, will provide specialized consumer goods training and support for export business model transformation. This program will then be linked to online expansion initiatives, export vouchers, and policy financing to provide an export-oriented growth ladder.
Lee Soon-bae, Director of Global Growth Policy, explained, “Exporting SMEs are facing significant difficulties due to high uncertainty in the external environment,” and “We have brought forward the timing of the integrated announcement to ensure that the support funds can be executed quickly.”
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