KOSPO Unveils 'Scale-up Korea' Blueprint for New Government

Korea Startup Forum (KOSPO) announced its startup policy proposal for the next government, titled ‘A New Republic of Korea Created by Startups: Scale-up Korea.’ This is the outcome proactively prepared by KOSPO's Policy Task Force (TF) to elevate startups as a core of the next government's national future strategy. Entrepreneurs and experts, led by Jeong Ji-eun, CEO of KODIT, and Lee Hyeon-jae, CEO of Yes Future, directly participated, incorporating on-the-ground voices to add practical significance to the policy proposal. KOSPO defined startups not merely as entities for starting businesses, but as the central axis for solving social problems and driving technology-based industrial innovation, strongly urging the active utilization of private innovative capabilities to secure future growth engines. It particularly clarified that, amidst structural challenges such as global technological competition and demographic changes, startups are strategic assets contributing to the overall national economy through business model diversification, job creation, tax revenue expansion, and the realization of social value. KOSPO urged the next government to embark on bold reforms with the resolve to "unleash 100 regulations within 100 days." It emphasized the desperate need for precise and flexible regulatory innovation in pace with rapidly evolving technology, to resolve innovation hindered by outdated systems, and to implement institutional practices that will propel the nation beyond being merely 'a good country to start a business' to 'a country that grows'. The proposal presents three major policy directions and nine key tasks: ▲Securing future growth engines ▲Redesigning the nation with innovative infrastructure ▲Rebuilding institutions centered on startups. Co-Chair Jeong Ji-eun emphasized that startups are key to diversifying the national business model and the future of the Republic of Korea, stating that the proposal contains action-oriented reform directions, from rapidly implementable regulatory improvements to fast-track policies. Furthermore, it requested that the new government establish institutional communication channels for startups to convey on-the-ground voices during the policy and regulation design process. KOSPO Chairman Han Sang-woo stated that he expects this proposal to contribute to securing global competitiveness for startups, supporting the qualitative growth of new industries, and building a digital transformation ecosystem where private technology and public innovation are connected. KOSPO, the largest startup association in South Korea, represents a massive ecosystem comprising over 2,500 member companies, with an annual revenue of approximately 20 trillion won, an employment scale of around 50,000 people, and cumulative investment attraction of about 33 trillion won. Based on its experience in reflecting policies in the 19th and 20th presidential elections, KOSPO plans to continuously propose measures to further advance the new government's startup policies.