The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (Minister Han Sung-sook) announced on the 10th that it held a meeting on regulatory-free special zones at the Osong Medical Innovation Foundation to promote new industry innovation and regional cooperation. Regulatory-free special zones, introduced in 2019, temporarily ease regulations in non-metropolitan areas to support the demonstration and commercialization of new technologies and services. This has contributed to the market entry of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the revitalization of the local economy.
The industry has long called for regulatory reforms that can be felt on the ground and for strengthened collaboration between special zones and companies to ensure the benefits of these special zones spread more quickly and broadly. This meeting brought together local governments, small and medium-sized enterprises, and industry experts to share challenges and discuss future directions for the development of regulatory-free special zones.
In particular, the "Metropolitan Connected Special Zone Promotion Plan," scheduled for full implementation starting next year, was introduced. This metropolitan connected special zone is a new regulatory-free special zone model that allows multiple local governments to collaborate to collectively ease regulations across supply chains and industries, enabling the demonstration of convergent industries combining diverse new products and services.
SMEs emphasized that packaged support, including R&D, infrastructure, and data utilization, is essential for the success of special zone demonstrations. They also requested liquidity support and market expansion measures to ensure stable commercialization. Local governments expressed their willingness to actively participate, estimating that regional cooperation would enable demonstrations that transcend the infrastructure limitations of individual regions, further enhancing the mutually beneficial effects between regions.
First Vice Minister Noh Yong-seok stated, "Regulatory-free special zones are regionally driven innovation platforms. We must strengthen inter-regional connections to achieve even greater results." He added, "Incorporating the ideas discussed today, we will create regulatory innovation outcomes that businesses can experience on the ground through regionally connected special zones."
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