South Korea Financial Services Commission Chairman Lee Eog-weon visited Seoul’s Tongin Market and reviewed measures to ease financing pressures on small businesses and self-employed workers. The support includes KRW 102.6 trillion of funding around the Chuseok holiday, the recently expanded KRW 12.3 trillion The Dream package and an artificial intelligence-based specialist credit assessment pilot designed to improve viable small businesses’ access to credit. Banks are providing KRW 79.6 trillion of preferential lending, including KRW 32.2 trillion of new loans and KRW 47.4 trillion of maturity extensions, while policy finance institutions are supplying KRW 23 trillion of new loans and guarantees. Nine banks began piloting the specialist credit assessment on Aug. 31 using nonfinancial data such as sales, industry and trading-area information. Seven more banks are expected to join by year-end, bringing the target program to 16 banks and KRW 2.2 trillion. The KRW 12.3 trillion The Dream package allocates KRW 2 trillion to startups, KRW 2.5 trillion to growth and KRW 7.8 trillion to businesses facing operating difficulties. The commission also reiterated measures to reduce interest costs and support debt restructuring, including incentives for consistent repayment, broader grounds for payment deferrals and stronger links to employment and business restart programs.
2026-09-21South Korea Financial Services Commission
South Korea Financial Services Commission reviews KRW 102.6 trillion holiday funding and expanded small business support
The South Korea Financial Services Commission reviewed KRW 102.6 trillion of Chuseok-related funding and an expanded KRW 12.3 trillion support package for small businesses. Nine banks are piloting an AI-based credit assessment using nonfinancial data, with seven more expected to join by year-end. Debt restructuring and interest-cost relief measures remain part of the support framework.