KOSPO, Unicorn Farm: AI Startup Global Expansion Partnership Meeting

AI Startups Urge Policy Improvements for Global Leap, Including Legal Status for Synthetic Data and Tax Benefits for Reverse Direct Purchase The Korea Startup Forum (KOSPO) and the National Assembly's startup research group Unicorn Farm held a "Field Meeting for AI Startup Global Scale-up" at Rebellion's headquarters on the 16th, strongly requesting the removal of institutional barriers hindering the overseas expansion and growth of domestic AI startups. The meeting was attended by members of Unicorn Farm, including Rep. Kim Han-kyu, and representatives from leading AI startups such as Rebellion, Seoul Robotics, Qubic, and Bungaejangter, who shared their insights from the field. Han Sang-woo, Chairman of KOSPO, emphasized that AI is at the core of national competitiveness and expressed the urgency of establishing policy support to enable AI startups to innovate on the global stage. During the meeting, representatives from each startup demanded specific policy improvements. * **Urging Clarification of Legal Status for Synthetic Data:** Jeong Min-chan, CEO of Qubic, urged defining synthetic data as an independent secondary output rather than a derivative of personal information, and called for the establishment of an institutional foundation that allows its safe use, similar to generative AI. * **Demanding Tax Benefits for Reverse Direct Purchase Industry:** Choi Jae-hwa, CEO of Bungaejangter, emphasized the need for reasonable tax support at the level of the U.S. and Europe to vitalize the reverse direct purchase industry, arguing that this would enhance the global competitiveness of Korea's re-commerce industry. * **Easing Regulations for Global Investment and Overseas Expansion:** Park Sung-hyun, CEO of Rebellion, and Lee Han-bin, CEO of Seoul Robotics, cited successful cases of attracting investment from Saudi Aramco and overseas exports, respectively. They requested the resolution of regulatory difficulties encountered during global investment attraction and overseas expansion, and the expansion of meticulous legal and policy support for startups that have entered a certain growth stage. Members of Unicorn Farm also expressed their strong commitment to supporting startups. Rep. Kim Han-kyu proposed designing a balanced institutional framework for attracting overseas investment, while Rep. Jang Cheol-min suggested building a platform for sharing startup policy challenges and resolution processes. Rep. Park Min-kyu proposed investment strategies for domestic startups utilizing sovereign wealth funds, and Rep. Lee Hae-min emphasized recognizing startups as national growth engines and developing customized support measures for each growth stage. Starting with this meeting, KOSPO plans to continuously communicate the investment and regulatory challenges faced by global scale-up startups, develop effective support measures such as policy IR sessions, and strengthen the cooperation system for policy and regulatory improvements.