July 15, 2026
The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC, chaired by Biung-Ghi Ju) held a roundtable on win-win cooperation between large enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) on July 15.
The roundtable was organized as one of the sessions of the '2026 Win-Win Growth Conference', jointly hosted by the Institute for Shared Growth and Ilyo Journal. The event was intended to promote a culture of win-win cooperation among large enterprises, hear perspectives from SMEs and academia, and discuss future policy directions for the subcontracting sector.
In his opening remarks, Chairperson Ju stated, "Win-win cooperation between large enterprises and their business partners will serve as social capital that not only strengthens the global competitiveness of large enterprises but also drives the sustainable growth of the Korean economy." He added, "I hope today's discussion will go beyond sharing individual corporate best practices and provide a meaningful opportunity to reflect on the healthy business ecosystem that our economy should strive to build."
During the roundtable, representatives of large enterprises introduced exemplary cases of their win-win cooperation initiatives aimed at achieving mutual growth with their SME partners.
Hyundai Motor Company presented its initiatives, including support for the establishment and advancement of smart factories by SME suppliers, the proactive adoption of the Subcontract Price Adjustment System Linked to Changes in Supply Costs, active adjustment of subcontract payments, export marketing support to help partner firms expand into overseas markets, and a bidding system that reflects first-tier suppliers' efforts to promote win-win cooperation with second-tier suppliers.
Lotte E&C shared its efforts to build sustainable partnerships with subcontractors, including financial assistance through interest-free loans, active adjustment of subcontract payments through the price linkage system and dispute mediation mechanisms, the elimination of unfair special contract provisions, and the abolition of the practice of retaining payments.
Representatives from SMEs and academia expressed their agreement that the win-win cooperation efforts of large enterprises contribute to improving the management stability and competitiveness of SME partners. They also suggested that the government provide active incentives so that these best practices can spread throughout industries as a standard business culture.
Participants further raised concerns regarding challenges experienced in the field, including fluctuations in raw material and energy costs, unfair payment practices, and the limited bargaining power of SMEs. They also emphasized the need to better reflect the value of win-win cooperation in the administration of the fair trade system.
In response, Chairperson Ju stated, "We will carefully review today's discussions and continue to incorporate the value of win-win cooperation into fair trade policies and institutions so that such cooperation can become an established business practice across industries."
Going forward, the KFTC will continue to strengthen law enforcement and improve relevant systems in key areas of transactions between large enterprises and SMEs, including enhancing the stability of subcontract payments, preventing technology misappropriation, and improving unfair trading conditions. At the same time, the Commission will continue to communicate with businesses to encourage the voluntary expansion of a culture of win-win cooperation.
etc/English