Launch ceremony held for small-business district revitalization project

Ham Young-joo: 'Growth of young entrepreneurs brings new vitality'

Hana Financial Group and the Small Enterprise and Market Service held a launch ceremony Tuesday for a project to revitalize commercial districts run by young small-business owners. Ham Young-joo, chairman of Hana Financial Group (third from left), and In Tae-yeon, president of the Small Enterprise and Market Service (fourth from left), pose for a photo at the event. [Hana Financial Group]
Hana Financial Group and the Small Enterprise and Market Service held a launch ceremony Tuesday for a project to revitalize commercial districts run by young small-business owners. Ham Young-joo, chairman of Hana Financial Group (third from left), and In Tae-yeon, president of the Small Enterprise and Market Service (fourth from left), pose for a photo at the event. [Hana Financial Group]

Hana Financial Group held a launch ceremony Tuesday at Sunshine Hotel in Daejeon with the Small Enterprise and Market Service for a project to revitalize commercial districts run by young small-business owners, under the theme "Change in commercial districts lit by youth."

The event was part of "Hana On, Youth On," an MOU on youth small-business district revitalization support that Hana Financial Group and the Small Enterprise and Market Service signed in June.

The ceremony was attended by Hana Financial Group Chairman Ham Young-joo and Small Enterprise and Market Service President In Tae-yeon, along with about 100 participants from 15 teams of young small-business owners from across the country.

"We will continue to work alongside the Small Enterprise and Market Service to help the growth of young small-business owners bring new vitality to local commercial districts and to ensure those results spread nationwide," Ham said. "The commitment we made in June to support the growth of young small-business owners and the revitalization of local commercial districts has now moved into full-scale action."

Hana Financial Group and the Small Enterprise and Market Service launched the "Hana On, Youth On" project in June and spent the following three months recruiting participants with diverse ideas for revitalizing local commercial districts across the country.

Through that process, the 15 selected teams — about 100 young small-business owners from across the country — drew up plans for joint events, customer outreach programs, environmental improvements and shared promotional campaigns tailored to the characteristics of their respective districts. Hana Financial and the Small Enterprise and Market Service plan to provide expert consulting, budget support and customized financial assistance.

Ahead of the Chuseok holiday, Hana Financial Group partnered with the Small Enterprise and Market Service on a project to supply affordable eggs to neighborhood supermarkets, aimed at easing the consumer price burden and boosting sales for small-business owners.

Last month, the group made a special contribution of 500 million won ($368,000) to the Incheon Credit Guarantee Foundation to support financial access for small-business owners with mid-to-low credit ratings in the Incheon area.

The group also continues to run a range of inclusive finance programs aimed at the sustainable growth of small-business owners, including support for strengthening competitiveness, high-efficiency energy equipment and digital transformation devices.


hyuk@heraldcorp.com