Over 100 small businesses gather for retail MD consultation in Asan

The Korea Small and Venture Business Distribution Agency, known as Hanuwon, announced Thursday it will hold the "2026 SME and Small Business Retail Platform MD Consultation Event" at Mona Valley in Asan, South Chungcheong Province.

The event is designed to connect small and medium-sized enterprises and small business owners — who often struggle to break into major retail networks — with merchandise directors from leading retail channels, helping them open new sales avenues and strengthen their retail and marketing capabilities.

Two programs will run simultaneously: Hanuwon's "Small Business Retail Platform MD Consultation" and its "SME Marketing and Purchasing Consultation." More than 100 small and medium-sized enterprises and small business owners will take part in one-on-one sessions with over 30 merchandise directors from major retail platforms, including 11Street, Oasis and Lotte On.

Hanuwon has been holding consultation events at locations across the country this year, targeting regional small businesses and entrepreneurs who have relatively few opportunities to meet directly with merchandise directors from large retail platforms. Active MDs travel to regions outside the greater Seoul area to conduct the sessions in person. Participant satisfaction has been high, according to Hanuwon.

The event is being organized in partnership with South Chungcheong Province and the South Chungcheong Economic Promotion Agency. The promotion agency also runs a "small business local product store entry support" program with Hanuwon to help sell quality products from within the province. Regional companies, including tenants of "Nongsarang" — an online shopping mall dedicated to South Chungcheong agricultural and specialty products — will also receive support to participate.

The event focuses on improving regional small businesses' access to major retail networks. Retail platform merchandise directors, who are primarily based in the greater Seoul area, travel directly to the region to meet companies one-on-one — giving local businesses a chance to present their products while receiving firsthand feedback from working MDs on product competitiveness and retail and marketing strategy.

"A meeting between a retail MD and a small business owner goes beyond simply opening a new sales channel — it is an opportunity for growth, offering professional feedback on one's own brand and products," said Lee Tae-sik, chief executive of Hanuwon. "I hope the companies participating in this consultation make full use of the opportunity to open new sales channels and take a step forward."