Minister Seongsook Han Calls for Collective Wisdom and Cooperation at COMEUP 2025

“The government will fully carry out its role as an active supporter and sponsor”

GANGNAM-GU, SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA, December 27, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ --

Ministry of SMEs and Startups (Minister Seongsook Han) announced the official opening of COMEUP 2025, Korea’s most significant global startup festival, on Wednesday, December 10, at COEX Hall B in Seoul.

Launched in 2019, COMEUP has grown into a flagship platform where innovative startups from Korea and abroad, investors, global corporations, and key stakeholders across the startup ecosystem gather to connect, exchange ideas, and explore opportunities for collaboration. Marking its seventh edition, COMEUP 2025 runs through Friday, December 12, under the theme “Recode the Future,” featuring exhibitions, conferences, IR sessions, and open innovation programs centered on technology, global expansion, and entrepreneurship.

This year’s COMEUP brings together startups from 46 countries, with 275 domestic and international startups participating in the exhibition to present innovative products and services. Seven countries, including Saudi Arabia and India, are operating national pavilions to promote their startup ecosystems and encourage cross-border cooperation.

At the opening ceremony, Minister Seongsook Han emphasized that COMEUP is jointly organized with major ecosystem organizations such as the Korea Startup Forum, the Korea Venture Business Association, and the Korea Venture Capital Association because startups cannot grow alone. She noted that startups need investors, guidance from experienced entrepreneurs, and consistent sponsorship and encouragement from the government to thrive.

Minister Han highlighted the symbolic importance of this year, noting that the Korea Venture Business Association marks its 30th anniversary since its founding in 1995, while the fund of funds for startups celebrates its 20th year. She reflected on the decades during which countless entrepreneurs have continued to challenge themselves and innovate, adding that startup founders who persistently focus on solving problems and transforming their business models deserve recognition and encouragement.

She also pointed to the unprecedented scale of current global change, describing today’s environment as more turbulent than the early days of internet platforms or the rise of mobile technology. According to Minister Han, startups competing not only domestically but also against global players face both significant opportunities and intense challenges. Even with strong prospects, capabilities, and capital, she noted, the market has become too competitive to navigate independently.

Stressing that innovation cannot be achieved in isolation, Minister Han said that when startups, investors, global companies, large enterprises, and mid-sized firms work together, Korea’s startup ecosystem can expand beyond its current scale and secure a stronger position within the global ecosystem. She explained that this belief underpins COMEUP 2025 and is reflected in its slogan, “Recode the Future,” which conveys the vision of Korean startups leading global trends through accumulated innovation. She added that all participants share a responsibility to support startups, encourage them, and help them grow into new engines of economic growth.

Over the past seven years, COMEUP has evolved into a platform that introduces Korea’s startup ecosystem to the world, connects it with global startups, and brings innovators together to create new opportunities. This year’s event, in particular, has been designed to promote broad participation and foster practical cooperation among diverse stakeholders.

Minister Han noted that as COMEUP continues to grow into a truly global startup event, participation from countries such as Saudi Arabia, Japan, India, and Australia has increased. She added that COMEUP 2025 strengthens innovation links between startups and investors, enhances collaboration with large enterprises, opens innovation platforms with global big tech companies, and provides engaging content not only for professionals but also for students and the general public.

In closing, Minister Han said, “COMEUP 2025 should serve as an opportunity to gather collective wisdom and plant the seeds of cooperation. The role of the government has become even more important.” She emphasized that through ongoing reflection on how best to support startups, the government has established the fund of funds and implemented a range of policies, and that it will continue to faithfully fulfill its role as an active supporter and sponsor so that the seeds planted at COMEUP 2025 can grow, bloom, and bear fruit.

COMEUP 2025, now in its seventh year, carries the slogan “Recode the Future,” reflecting the idea that startups create a new future beyond industrial and national boundaries through innovative technologies and a spirit of challenge. Alongside the main event, related programs such as the OpenData X AI Challenge opening ceremony, the Challenge! K-Startup 2025 Grand Final, jointly hosted by 10 government ministries, and the 2025 K-Startup Grand Challenge Demo Day, which selects the top foreign-founded startup team of the year, are also being held, further reinforcing COMEUP’s role as a central hub in the global startup ecosystem.

Sangha Lee
Korea Startup Forum
+821071080003 ext.
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