The Korea Federation of SMEs and the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises and Startups hosted the 2026 National Small Business Conference. During the event, 92 government awards, including the Gold Tower Industrial Medal, were presented to individuals who contributed to economic growth and job creation.
According to the Korea Federation of SMEs, this year marks the 37th iteration of the conference, themed "Turning Change into Opportunity: Challenging Small Businesses." Over 300 attendees included Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, Minister Han Seung-sook, and leaders from various small business organizations.
This year's Gold Tower Industrial Medals were awarded to Lee Yeon-bae, CEO of Autozen, and Lee Neung-gu, CEO of Chilgapsan. The Gold Tower Industrial Medal is a prestigious government award given to individuals with significant contributions to national industrial development.
Lee Yeon-bae was recognized for his nearly 40 years in the automotive parts industry, particularly for enhancing national industrial competitiveness through the localization of key technologies. Lee Neung-gu was honored for modernizing rice processing products and promoting the globalization of K-food.
Kim Ki-moon, chairman of the Korea Federation of SMEs, stated in his opening remarks, "Government investment and support are essential to innovate not only advanced strategic industries but also traditional manufacturing through the National Growth Fund," adding, "We will invest 200 billion won through the Yellow Umbrella Fund."
He further emphasized that the AI transformation of traditional manufacturing is now a matter of survival, urging the need to expand support for data infrastructure and cooperative AX projects centered around industry-specific cooperatives.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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