'2 Days & 1 Night' Minister Lee So-young "We will expand the growth ladder for small and medium-sized businesses" (comprehensive)

Cheonan Small Business Manager visits the company... ‘Bendable solar film’ technology inspection

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Koo Jeong-mo = "Following semiconductors, we are researching and developing solar energy materials, which is impressive."

Lee So-young, Minister of SMEs and Startups, said this on the 15th, holding a black, thin, flexible film-type perovskite in her hand at LK Chem, a semiconductor material, component, and equipment company in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province.

Perovskite is a next-generation material used in solar cells that absorb light and produce electricity.

Minister Lee, who was touring the production site under the guidance of Lee Chang-yeop, CEO of LK Chem, showed interest in next-generation solar power technology that, unlike existing solar power panels, can be installed in various places such as the exterior walls of buildings and car roofs.

Minister Lee showed the perovskite in his hand to the reporters and explained, "Nowadays, we mainly install solar panels in the form of panels, but this type of film can be attached to buildings and even on cars," and explained, "It is from this thin film that power generation is achieved."

“Perovskite is a future renewable energy technology, and we are conducting a lot of related research and development here,” he said. “We are researching and developing not only semiconductors, but also solar energy and even materials used in space solar energy.”

In particular, attention was paid to technology that produces electricity from solar energy in outer space.

He said, "In the United States, discussions on space solar technology are active and a lot of investment is being made. Global big tech companies are also investing a lot in projects that raise data centers in space to produce electricity using solar energy, process data, and transmit it to Earth."

Minister Lee evaluated that this technology is also connected to the development of cutting-edge renewable energy technology promoted by the government.

The visit to LK Chem on this day was the first part of Minister Lee's first visit to the local area after taking office, 'Into the Field for 2 Days and 1 Night'.

LK Chem is a company that produces materials used in next-generation semiconductor processes and is the first participant in the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' 'Jump-up Program'.

Minister Lee toured the production facilities for core raw materials for semiconductor thin film deposition, the smart control room, and the central research center, and looked at the current status of production and research and development.

Next, a meeting was held with officials from five companies participating in the leap program, including LK Chem, KL Cube, Youngpoong Electronics, Saehan, and Ercos, and scale-up support strategy supporters such as Samjong KPMG and Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

At the meeting, LK Chem and KL Cube presented best cases of scale-up together with strategic supporters, and participating companies suggested regulations and management difficulties encountered during growth.

At this event, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups also announced a plan to reorganize the leap program into three stages depending on the company's growth stage starting next year.

The plan is to subdivide the existing single support system into 'Jump Up 100', 'Jump Up 500', and 'Jump Up 1,000' according to sales volume and foster 1,500 small and medium-sized businesses with high growth potential by 2030.

Specifically, it focuses on establishing a management foundation for companies with sales of more than 10 billion won (Jump Up 100), entering new businesses and new markets for companies with sales of more than 50 billion won (Jump Up 500), and expanding overseas business for companies with sales of more than 100 billion won (Jump Up 100).

In addition, in order to resolve problems that become obstacles in the company's growth process, it plans to link support policies in five key areas, including research and development (R&D), artificial intelligence conversion (AX), securing excellent human resources, financial support, and regulatory improvement.

Starting with Cheonan, Minister Lee will sequentially visit the 'startup city' Daejeon, the global innovation zone in Osong, North Chungcheong Province, K-beauty companies in Sejong, and the Small Business New Start Support Center in Cheongju for two days and one night, starting with Cheonan.

Afterwards, we plan to stay in each region across the country for 2 days and 1 night to directly listen to voices from the field related to major policies such as the growth of small and medium-sized businesses, fostering national strategic industries, revitalizing the local startup ecosystem, expanding overseas expansion, and supporting small business owners to take a leap forward, and reflect them in policies.

Minister Lee So-young emphasized, "Large-scale investments in the three mega projects promoted at the national level should go beyond the trickle-down effect of large corporations and lead to increased sales of capable high-tech small and medium-sized enterprises and the creation of quality local jobs."

He continued, "We will expand a strong growth ladder so that small and medium-sized businesses, which will serve as the backbone of the regional growth engine, can jump into mid-sized companies," and added, "We will work closely with relevant ministries to quickly resolve difficulties raised in the field, such as research and development, overseas expansion, and regulations, so that jump-up participating companies can continue to grow."