On the 10th, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, under Minister Kim Jeong-kwan, and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), led by President Kang Kyung-sung, announced a focused initiative to support small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) facing heightened trade obstacles due to high exchange rates and export restrictions from key countries. They will introduce the 4th round of the '2026 Emergency Support Voucher' program, which will accept applicants until July 21.

This initiative specifically targets businesses suffering from the adverse impacts of high exchange rates and stringent export regulations. The program is designed to provide tailored services aimed at effectively addressing these concerns, thereby stabilizing the trade flow for affected companies.

A key feature of the 4th round support initiative is the expansion of financial protections for exporters grappling with increased costs of raw material imports and exchange rate risks. A new advance payment system allows companies to settle costs for foreign exchange risk hedge insurance even after the contract date, enabling proactive measures against currency fluctuations. Additionally, the upper limit for utilizing trade insurance and guarantees has been doubled from 10 million KRW to 20 million KRW to alleviate financial burdens on exporting firms.

For exporters facing trade restrictions and strategic material controls imposed by key markets, a new consulting menu has been introduced. This service will analyze the impact of international export control measures on domestic firms and provide tailored strategies for compliance. Advanced consulting on risk management, including the certification for compliant trading operations (CP certification) and improvements in internal controls, will be part of this initiative.

Kang Kyung-sung emphasized that Korean exporters are currently experiencing a dual crisis due to high exchange rates and global export controls. He stated, 'Through this 4th round of emergency support vouchers, we aim to provide precise support to SMEs grappling with trade difficulties, and enable them to overcome macro-level trade barriers with tailored services designed for the field.'

The potential funding from this emergency support voucher will range from 20 million KRW to a maximum of 150 million KRW based on the selected enterprises' industry and revenue size. The government will cover 70% of the costs for small enterprises and 50% for mid-sized enterprises. This program will also retroactively apply to service utilization costs incurred from February this year and will be available until January 2027, providing a total support duration of 12 months.