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“We’re Looking for 2025 Star Small Business Owners to Lead Local Commerce!” Busan City Launches Recruitment for Star Small Business Contest

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The Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon), in cooperation with the Busan Economic Promotion Agency, announced the launch of the “2025 Star Small Business Contest” starting April 10 and running through April 24.

Now in its fourth year, the Star Small Business Discovery and Support Program aims to identify and support promising local small businesses, helping them grow into flagship enterprises that represent Busan. Each year, ten businesses are selected to receive customized support.

The program is divided into two main categories:

• ●Marketing Support: brand development, menu/product development, promotional content creation, market expansion, and advertising

• ●Fee-Based Support: patent and trademark registration, certification evaluations (e.g., HACCP), and intellectual property testing and registration

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[2025 Star Small Business Selection Contest Overview]

• ●Contest Title: 2025 Busan Star Small Business Selection

• ●Application Period: April 10 (Thu) – April 24 (Thu), 2025, by 4:00 p.m.

• ●Eligibility: Small business owners operating in Busan for 3 or more years
  (Preference given to lifestyle-related industries such as food, clothing, and housing)

• ●Number of Selections: 10 businesses

• ●Benefits:

• ○Star Small Business Certificate and Plaque (in the name of the Busan Mayor)

• ○KRW 20 million in growth funding

• ○Strategic mentoring, collaborative and individual marketing, support for joint projects

• ●Certification Validity: 3 years from date of issue

• ●Evaluation Criteria: Business history, management performance, participation motivation (document and presentation reviews)

Applications must be submitted online via the Busan Small Business Support Center website (https://bsbsc.kr).

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This year, the city will again select ten companies, prioritizing those in lifestyle-related sectors (e.g., food, clothing, culture).

Last year’s selected businesses included:

• ●Gahunjeong (Korean street food)

• ●Gungjung Haemultang Josijip (seafood stew)

• ●Daehyeon Sanghoe (sesame oil)

• ●Baekro Anggeum (sweet red bean paste)

• ●Sonkkeut (beeswax wrap)

• ●Yuping (t-shirts)

• ●Toriatti (pet carriers)

• ●Tieut (women’s products)

• ●Poseganz (footwear)

• ●Hitte Roastery (coffee)

These businesses experienced notable results, including a 41% increase in average annual sales, an increase in employment by 1.5 persons per business, entry into major domestic retailers, and four export deals (worth KRW 800 million) through live commerce and home shopping platforms.

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Businesses selected as Star Small Business Owners will receive:

• ●One-on-one mentoring with experts in strategic growth

• ●Support for product development, branding, and marketing

• ●KRW 20 million in business development funding

Additionally, from this year, businesses selected in 2023 and 2024 will also be eligible for networking events and collaborative project grants (up to KRW 5 million) to promote knowledge sharing and joint commercialization efforts.

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[Additional Information]

For detailed eligibility requirements, refer to the official announcement on the Busan Small Business Support Center website or contact the support center at ☎1833-3665.

Kim Bong-cheol, Director-General of Busan’s Digital Economy Bureau, stated,

“With ten new businesses selected this year, we will have supported a total of 40 Star Small Businesses in Busan.
Our goal is to help these businesses grow into leading local models and representatives of Busan's economy, and we will continue to provide systematic support to help them thrive.”