92 firms in global small business program post $7.06 million in exports

Target markets grow from 44 to 75 countries, with 31 newly entered

Six companies achieve first-ever exports; overseas market inroads widen

Export deals worth 1.6 billion won shared at Jeju local startup festival

Visitors browse products from local companies across the country at the 2026 Local Startup Festa in Jeju, held at the Sheraton Jeju Hotel from Wednesday through Friday. The venue featured a wide range of products from local businesses — including food, beverages and daily goods — made using regional specialties and natural resources. [Ministry of SMEs and Startups]
Visitors browse products from local companies across the country at the 2026 Local Startup Festa in Jeju, held at the Sheraton Jeju Hotel from Wednesday through Friday. The venue featured a wide range of products from local businesses — including food, beverages and daily goods — made using regional specialties and natural resources. [Ministry of SMEs and Startups]

Small businesses participating in a government export support program increased their overseas sales by more than 56 percent in a single year, while the number of destination markets expanded from 44 to 75 countries, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups said Monday.

The ministry announced the findings after analyzing the export performance of 100 companies selected this year for its Global Small Business Development project.

Of the 100 selected firms, the 92 with recorded export activity posted combined sales of $7.06 million through September, up 56.3 percent from $4.52 million last year.

Export destinations grew from 44 countries to 75, as companies pushed beyond their traditional base in East Asia, the United States and China into Russia, Eastern Europe and Africa — entering 31 new markets in the process. Six companies that had no export record last year achieved their first overseas sales this year.

One of them is Sameon, a South Chungcheong Province-based company that developed health snacks using byproducts from red ginseng production in Geumsan. The firm, which repurposes waste from the red ginseng manufacturing process, recorded roughly $11,000 in first-time exports this year and has been cited as a model for leveraging regional specialties.

Cosmetics company Dermis, which uses functional ingredients derived from salmon, also sharply expanded its exports — from about $38,000 in 2024 to roughly $270,000 this year.

Both companies were recognized at the K-Small Business Insight Day, held Friday in Jeju as part of the inaugural Local Startup Festa in Jeju. Sameon received a Ministry of SMEs and Startups Minister's Award in the Frontier category, while Dermis was honored in the Step-Up category.

The Global Small Business Development project, introduced by the ministry for the first time this year, identifies small businesses in the consumer goods sector with strong export potential and supports their overseas expansion. The program provides step-by-step assistance — including export capacity training, export-ready product development and participation in overseas consumer goods trade fairs — and offers selected companies up to 100 million won ($73,600) in commercialization funding.

The Local Startup Festa, held over three days in Jeju from Wednesday through Friday, also yielded export results. About 1,000 participants attended, including local companies, small business owners, investors and overseas buyers. Seven local firms shared news of export contracts totaling 1.6 billion won concluded at the event. Buyers from China and Hong Kong submitted letters of intent, signaling further cooperation ahead.

The ministry said it plans to link the buyer consultations and business networking that took place at the event to follow-up support programs, with the aim of converting them into actual exports and investment.

"As global interest in and enthusiasm for K-consumer goods continues to grow, we will provide full-scale support to help innovative small businesses bring their outstanding products to international markets," said Kim Jeong-ju, director general of the ministry's Small Business Policy Bureau.


boo@heraldcorp.com