Inje County, Gangwon Province, is investing 44 million won to support social economy enterprises with their delivery, promotion, and specialized service costs. This initiative aims to expand the market for local products and reduce operational burdens for businesses, with applications accepted until October 30.
According to Inje County on October 26, the "2026 Social Economy Enterprise Support Project" will be divided into three areas: 18 million won for delivery costs, 10 million won for online promotion, and 16 million won for tailored management support. The program will assist up to 20 enterprises in each category, targeting local social enterprises, village enterprises, cooperatives, and self-support enterprises.
This year's budget is 8 million won more than last year's allocation of 36 million won. The delivery cost category has increased by 5 million won, while online promotion has risen by 3 million won, with tailored management support remaining at the same level. The additional funds are focused on reducing the cost burden during the sales process for product delivery and online promotion.
The business structures of local companies align with this support direction. According to the Gangwon Sustainable Economic Support Center, the Hachuri Agricultural Cooperative is engaged in processing and selling grains, as well as providing experiences and accommodations, while the Yongdae 2-ri Baekdam Village Agricultural Cooperative manufactures and sells dried pollack and other products. There are also registered businesses in cultural arts, cleaning, sanitation, and forestry sectors, indicating varying support needs across industries.
There have been successes in commercializing local resources. The Hachuri Agricultural Cooperative and the Seorak Natural Farm Agricultural Cooperative were selected as "All Together Village Enterprises" by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety in 2023, recognized for their contributions to job creation through the sale of processed grains and forest products, as well as rural experiences.
Considering the characteristics of these projects, delivery cost support aims to alleviate the burden of sending products to consumers outside the region, while online promotion can encourage product purchases and reservations for experiences and accommodations. However, it remains to be seen whether this financial support will lead to actual improvements in competitiveness, which will need to be assessed through future sales and repeat purchase metrics.
Delivery costs will cover the shipping fees incurred by businesses when sending products to consumers. Online promotion costs include expenses for keyword and banner advertising, creating product introduction pages for online shopping malls, and social media marketing.
Tailored management support will cover costs for utilizing specialized services in tax, accounting, human resources, and management administration. This includes support for tax bookkeeping fees, accounting audit fees, labor consulting fees, and various licensing and qualification acquisition costs.
Costs incurred from January 1 to October 30 of this year will also be retroactively applied. Businesses that have already incurred expenses can apply if they have the necessary documentation. Excluded are value-added tax and costs that have received duplicate support from other institutions, with the amount of support for each business determined by the scale of the application and the budget for each category.
Last year, 13 million won was allocated to eight businesses in the delivery cost category, 7 million won to seven businesses in the online promotion category, and 16 million won to 12 businesses in the tailored management support category.
Applications can be submitted in person at the Inje County Social Economy Support Center or via email until 6 p.m. on October 30. Submission methods can be confirmed on the Inje County website, and inquiries can be directed to the center. The county plans to review the documents and announce the selection results on its website by November 20, with support funds to be distributed by December 11.
Shin Seon-mi, head of the Inje County Economic Industry Division, stated, "We hope this project will significantly help reduce the operational costs for local social economy enterprises and enhance their product competitiveness and market access."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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