The government will expand the scope of its win-win cooperation policy for large, mid-sized, and small businesses from a focus on manufacturing and construction to the broader industrial ecosystem, including finance, online platforms, and the defense industry. The move reflects a judgment that the existing supplier-centered cooperation structure alone cannot keep pace with changes on the industrial front, as new industries grow and advanced technologies develop at an accelerating rate. The government plans to build a win-win cooperation structure in which large corporations, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and innovative startups grow together by broadening cooperation among various industries and ecosystem members.
Lee Byoung-kwon, Vice Minister of SMEs and Startups, stressed in a keynote speech at the "2026 Korea Win-Win Conference" held at the Shilla Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the 9th: "For financial conglomerates and SMEs, platforms and their tenant businesses, and defense-related startups, it is impossible to create win-win effects through existing policies." He added, "As innovative startups are emerging as a mainstay of the Korean economy, win-win strategies must also continue to evolve in line with the changing environment."
The 2026 Korea Win-Win Conference, hosted by Seoul Economic Daily and organized by Seoul Economic TV, marks its 16th year this year. The event has established itself as a leading win-win platform where large corporations, SMEs, and ventures and startups seek solutions for sustainable growth through cooperation. This year, under the theme "Growth for All Large, Mid-Sized, and Small Businesses Through Win-Win Cooperation," the conference intensively discussed shared growth between large and small businesses through win-win payment and win-win cooperation funds, as well as ways to expand the win-win ecosystem.
Lee assessed that "over the past 20 years, the win-win cooperation system has delivered considerable results." The number of large corporations participating in the Win-Win Growth Index rose from 56 in 2011 to 251 this year. Win-win cooperation funds also expanded from 113.4 billion won in 2011 to 3.2 trillion won last year, with a cumulative 850,000 SMEs receiving support. Win-win smart factories, which apply the knowledge and experience of large corporations to SME manufacturing sites, also increased from 597 in 2018 to 6,374 last year.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups sees that more expanded win-win cooperation efforts are needed to achieve more substantial win-win cooperation beyond these results. Accordingly, it plans to shift the framework of future win-win policy toward a direction in which all industry members grow together. Lee said, "The core of the new win-win strategy is for everyone to grow together across the entire corporate ecosystem," adding, "To this end, we must move away from a vertical structure between large corporations and SMEs to a horizontal structure in which everyone cooperates and develops as partners."
Lee first announced a plan to push ahead in earnest with policies to expand the win-win ecosystem. He named finance, defense, online platforms, and regions and youth as target industries for expansion. In the case of finance, an evaluation using a win-win finance index will be introduced for major commercial banks, going beyond the win-win finance index itself. Lee said, "Given the need for win-win cooperation in which financial firms help SMEs grow and fulfill their social responsibilities, we will expand rewards and incentives for financial firms that receive excellent evaluations," adding, "From the second half of the year, we will conduct a pilot evaluation of six commercial banks and expand it from next year."
A tailored win-win system will also be established in the online platform sector. Based on perception and status surveys of small business owners who have set up shop on major platforms such as delivery apps and open markets, the ministry will push forward with institutionalization measures such as shared growth evaluations and win-win consultative bodies. In the defense sector, the win-win level of 15 large defense companies, including Hanwha Ocean, Hyundai Rotem, and LIG Nex1, will be evaluated. In the regions and youth sector, a win-win job model, in which large corporations support job training for young people and connect this to hiring by partner SMEs, will be expanded.
Establishing a fair trade order was also presented as a major task. The government plans to raise penalties for companies that steal technology to up to 5 billion won and to improve the method of calculating damages. Regarding the payment indexation system, it will clearly prohibit illegal acts such as splitting contracts, and will push forward with cost calculation consulting and status surveys for energy cost indexation. It will strengthen ex officio investigations into acts that pass on cost burdens to SMEs, and will establish a dedicated system that provides support from dispute filing to mediation, damage relief, and prevention.
Lee said, "Running alone may seem to get you there faster for the moment, but to go far, everyone must show solidarity and cooperate," adding, "The government, too, as a member of the win-win ecosystem, will cheer on business leaders so that they can shine."
