The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) of South Korea announced the successful conduct of the ‘8th ASEAN-Korea Startup Policy Dialogue’ with the ASEAN Coordinating Committee on Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (ACCMSME) in Jakarta, Indonesia. The ACCMSME is a high-level committee of 10 ASEAN Member States representatives that discusses SMEs and startup policies in the ASEAN region.

The dialogue serves as a forum where the MSS and ACCMSME discuss fostering a sustainable and inclusive startup ecosystem within ASEAN. This collaborative framework was initiated during the Korea-ASEAN Special Summit held in Busan in 2019, aimed at effectively implementing the ‘ASEAN-Korea Startup Cooperation.’

The main focus of this eighth session was to review the progress of the nine priority actions outlined in the ‘Korea-ASEAN Startup Policy Roadmap’ agreed upon in 2022, along with other collaborative initiatives. Notably, seven initiatives including the Women Startup Leaders Forum have been completed. Additionally, two more projects, such as the Korea-ASEAN Unicorn Incubation Project, are poised to move forward after undergoing the ‘ASEAN-Korea Cooperation Fund Review’ process.

Choi Won-young, Director of Global Growth Policy at MSS, remarked on the occasion, “Hosting the Startup Policy Dialogue in the year that marks the 35th anniversary of ASEAN-Korea dialogue relations is particularly significant. We remain committed to continuously strengthening our policy cooperation with ASEAN.”