Regional SMEs Connect at Networking Day

여기종, an organization dedicated to fostering the growth of women-led small businesses in Korea, organized a networking day designed to connect member companies with partners outside the Seoul metropolitan area. The event brought together 60 companies based in the Chungcheong and Honam provinces, regions that have traditionally received less attention in corporate supply-chain matchmaking than the capital region.

The centerpiece of the event was the signing of 상생협력 (sangsaeng hyeongnyeok, mutual-growth cooperation) agreements among the participating companies. Such agreements are a common format in Korea's small-business ecosystem, in which companies commit to exploring joint business opportunities, procurement linkages, and collaborative development rather than one-off transactions.

Focus on Women-Owned Enterprises

The event underscored the role of women-BI companies — businesses founded or led by women — in Korea's regional economies. By hosting the networking day with a strong regional participation base, 여기종 aimed to widen the business networks available to women entrepreneurs operating outside the greater Seoul area, where most of the country's large corporate buyers and platform companies are concentrated.

Cooperation agreements signed at the event are expected to serve as a framework for the 60 participating companies to pursue joint projects and supply-chain partnerships going forward. Specific follow-up projects were not disclosed at the time of the announcement.

The networking day reflects a broader policy emphasis in Korea on spreading small-business support programs beyond the metropolitan region and encouraging large companies, public institutions, and SMEs to build 상생협력 (mutual-growth) ties with underrepresented supplier groups, including women-owned businesses.

The claim that 여기종 held its networking day and signed mutual cooperation agreements with 60 companies from the Chungcheong and Honam regions is True.