Korea SMEs and Startups Agency, CJ CheilJedang team up to open new markets for Gangwon small businesses

The Korea SMEs and Startups Agency has joined forces with CJ CheilJedang to expand market access for small and medium-sized enterprises in the Gangwon Yeongdong region, connecting local companies that struggle to secure distribution channels with a major conglomerate's online retail and marketing infrastructure.

The agency signed an MOU with CJ CheilJedang on Thursday at the Gangneung Science and Industry Promotion Agency under the title "MOU for Supporting Market Access for Outstanding SMEs in the Gangwon Yeongdong Region." Kim Il-ho, the agency's corporate finance director, and Lee Seung-yun, head of CJ CheilJedang's fast-sourcing procurement team, attended the signing ceremony along with officials from both organizations.

Under the agreement, the two sides will cooperate to identify promising regional companies and connect them with tailored market opportunities — including listings on CJ The Market and participation in themed promotional events — while jointly running live commerce campaigns and season- and theme-based marketing to boost sales of locally distinctive products. They will also collaborate on analyzing sales performance and linking high-performing companies to policy support programs.

Results were already on display at the signing. After the agency identified and recommended high-growth candidates from among its existing client companies, four firms — Jeongnam Mi Group, Dongkwang Food, Sanghwa F&B and Cham Joeun Food — joined a Gangwon Province promotional event on CJ The Market and signed listing agreements with CJ CheilJedang that same day.

Joint marketing on CJ The Market has been underway since late July, and the Gangwon Province promotional event launched Aug. 4. The agency plans to continue identifying and recommending SMEs for future promotional events, while CJ CheilJedang will sell regional products to consumers through CJ The Market, its official online mall.

CJ CheilJedang launched CJ The Market in 2021 as its official online store, initially centered on its own brands such as Bibigo and Hetbahn. More recently, the platform has been broadening its product lineup to include goods from outside SMEs through regionally themed promotional events.

"We expect the outstanding products of the Gangwon Yeongdong region to gain market competitiveness by meeting CJ CheilJedang's platform capabilities," Lee said. "We will build a mutually beneficial ecosystem in which regional products are continuously connected to consumers through CJ The Market's regionally themed promotions."

Kim said the agency aims to help local SMEs with strong products but limited distribution access break into new markets by leveraging the infrastructure of a large company. "We will support the sustained growth of participating companies not only through market-access support but also by linking them to a range of policy tools, including policy funds," he said.