Startup Support Programs

This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change often, so verify with the official source or a licensed tax accountant (semusa) or lawyer before acting.

Central and local government startup programs are announced anew every year. Rather than memorizing individual programs, this document covers where to find them and which eligibility conditions to check first.

Scale and Channels

• The Ministry of SMEs and Startups publishes an integrated announcement of central and local startup support programs every year.
• 2026 integrated announcement: 111 institutions, 508 programs, KRW 3.4645 trillion in total (up KRW 170.5 billion, 5.2%, year on year). By type, loans KRW 1.4245 trillion (41.1%), R&D KRW 864.8 billion, commercialization KRW 815.1 billion.

"Startup Company" as Defined by Law

• Startup company: a company (corporation or sole proprietor) for which 7 years have not passed since it started business after founding an SME (Support for Small and Medium Enterprise Establishment Act Article 2).
• Pre-founder: an individual or similar who intends to start a business.
• Programs usually divide eligibility by this definition and business age (time since founding).

Finding Programs by Stage

flowchart LR
    P[Pre-founder] --> A[Pre-startup programs]
    A --> R[Business registration]
    R --> E[Early-stage programs]
    E --> G[Leap and growth programs]
    R --> L[Policy loans and guarantees]
    E --> T[R&D support]

• The 2026 Pre-Startup Package was called twice: a first round (applications 2026-03-06 to 2026-03-24) and a second round in June (per the Bizinfo calls). Each round can have its own reference date and schedule, and they change every year.
• Funding amounts, self-contribution ratios and business-age criteria differ by program and change yearly. Decide based on the original call text.

The Most Common Mistake: Registration Order

Learn about a program
→ Check "eligibility" in the call
→ Check whether holding a registration disqualifies you
→ Decide when to register
→ Register (when needed)

Bad example:

A side project earned a little, so I registered as a sole proprietor. The next year's Pre-Startup Package call said I was no longer eligible.

Good example:

I checked program schedules first and registered the business to fit the agreement schedule after being selected.

• Some calls have exceptions (for example, existing businesses in a different industry), so read the eligibility clauses and FAQ to the end.
• Past closures, duplicate applications by the same representative and limits on receiving multiple government programs are also items to check in the call.

Support Program Preparation Checklist

• Sign up on K-Startup and Bizinfo and set alerts for your fields
• List programs for your stage from the original integrated announcement
• Mark the "business registration," "business age" and "duplicate benefit" conditions in each call
• Draft a business plan (problem, solution, market, team, funding plan)
• After selection, check agreement and settlement rules (how to evidence program spending)
• Keep tax filings and settlement evidence in the same folder structure

References

• Korea Policy Briefing - Next year's startup support budget KRW 3.4645 trillion (accessed 2026-09-28)
• Bizinfo - 2026 integrated announcement of central and local startup support programs (accessed 2026-09-28)
• Ministry of SMEs and Startups - 2026 integrated announcement of startup support programs (accessed 2026-09-28)
• Bizinfo - 2026 Pre-Startup Package revised call for pre-founders (accessed 2026-09-28)
• Bizinfo - 2026 second-round Pre-Startup Package revised call for pre-founders (accessed 2026-09-28)
• Bizinfo - 2026 Early-Stage Startup Package (general) call (accessed 2026-09-28)
• KISED - Program calls (accessed 2026-09-28)
• Korea Law Information Center - Support for Small and Medium Enterprise Establishment Act (accessed 2026-09-28)
• Easy Law - Startup procedure and support overview (accessed 2026-09-28)