FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 21, 2024
Ministry of SMEs and Startups Hosts Global Entrepreneurship Week Korea Event
SEJONG – The Global Entrepreneurship Week Korea 2024 (GEW KOREA) is taking place from Thursday, Nov. 19 to Sunday, Nov. 24, at Dragon City in Yongsan, Seoul. The event focuses on the theme "Entrepreneurship Leading Regional Innovation: From Startup to Scale-up," with a strong emphasis on revitalizing the regional startup ecosystem. The agenda will cover topics related to policies, resources, and entrepreneurship, aimed at fostering innovation in local regions.
Approximately 700 participants are expected to join both online and offline, creating a dynamic platform for discussions on enhancing the entrepreneurial landscape in Korea.
Minister OH Youngju expressed in her opening speech at the ceremony, “We hope this event will further spread the culture of entrepreneurship that can lead challenges and innovation not only among large corporations and SMEs but also in local regions.” She added, “MSS will also provide unwavering support for entrepreneurs armed with entrepreneurship to lead regional innovation and expand and develop globally.”
On November 19 (Tuesday), the opening ceremony featured the official declaration of the event, an award ceremony to honor individuals who have made significant contributions to the promotion of entrepreneurship over the past year, and a keynote speech by President LEE Ki-jeong of Hanyang University, who addressed the topic of "Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Social Innovation." Following the ceremony, the “Regional Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Open Innovation Forum” was held, presenting the results of the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem index survey and facilitating in-depth discussions on fostering a vibrant regional entrepreneurial ecosystem from multiple perspectives.
On November 20 (Wednesday), the “Entrepreneurship Education Online Forum” will highlight award-winning cases from the Entrepreneurship Education Best Practices Competition, along with examples of entrepreneurship education from various city and provincial education offices. The forum will be accessible through the Korea Entrepreneurship Foundation's YouTube channel. Additionally, Entrepreneurship Talk Concert 1 will focus on the theme “From Startup to Scale-up: Stories of Entrepreneurs Driving Regional Innovation,” featuring presentations from three regional value-driven entrepreneurs who are leading local innovation. This session will take place at the Seongsu Sangsang Planet Connect Hall.
On November 21 (Thursday), Entrepreneurship Talk Concert 2 will be held under the theme “The Next Generation Leaders of Local Innovation: Stories of University Students (International Students) Taking on the Challenge of Starting a Business,” featuring stories from domestic university startup teams and international students aspiring to start businesses in Korea, taking place at Yeongdeungpo Localmotive. In the evening, Entrepreneurship Movie DAY will offer a screening of the film “Wild Robot,” which explores the relationship between nature, humans, and technology, allowing attendees to experience entrepreneurship through adaptation and growth in unfamiliar environments. After the film screening, an event will take place at CGV Yongsan for sharing insights from attendees.
All event programs can be pre-registered through the official GEW KOREA website (https://gewkorea.org), and the opening ceremony and online forum can be accessed via the YouTube channel of the Korea Entrepreneurship Foundation (https://www.youtube.com/@KOEF).
About Global Entrepreneurship Week Korea Event
The Global Entrepreneurship Week Korea Event is held in November every year during the third week as part of the Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW), which takes place simultaneously in over 200 countries worldwide. It was first held in 2014 and has established itself as a platform for communication and exchange to share achievements related to entrepreneurship activities over the year and explore ways to advance entrepreneurship in Korea.