South Korea’s largest startup affiliation has entered a management transition at a time of coverage recalibration. Korea Startup Discussion board has elected Elice Group CEO Kim Jae-won as its fifth chair, pairing a tenth anniversary milestone with a renewed push on emerging-industry regulation and AI transformation. For international founders and buyers monitoring Korea’s coverage path, the change indicators how startup illustration could evolve in 2026.
Korea Startup Discussion board Elects Kim Jae-won at 2026 Basic Meeting
On February 26, Korea Startup Discussion board, extensively often called KOSPO, held its 2026 Annual Basic Meeting at MARU180 in Gangnam, Seoul. Based on official releases and native media experiences, Kim Jae-won, CEO of Elice Group, was unanimously elected because the fifth chairperson.
Beforehand, Kim Jae-won had been nominated as the only candidate throughout KOSPO’s first board assembly in January. Roughly 60 representatives, together with board members, delegate corporations, and common members, attended the meeting. The session included a assessment of 2025 actions and monetary statements, approval of the 2026 marketing strategy, and adoption of the annual finances.
Kim now succeeds Han Sang-woo, CEO of Wizdom, who led the group for the previous two years.
KOSPO Korea: A ten-12 months Milestone and Coverage Repositioning
Based in 2016 by round 50 startups and included as a non-profit affiliation in 2018, KOSPO has grown into the biggest startup affiliation in Korea. Membership has surpassed 2,600 corporations, together with roughly 1,400 corporations with innovation- or technology-based funding histories.
The 2025 Korea Startup Discussion board White Paper, unveiled throughout the meeting, gives up to date ecosystem information. Amongst 1,303 member corporations surveyed, complete annual income reached KRW 18.93 trillion. Cumulative funding secured by 724 corporations amounted to KRW 28.60 trillion. Employment throughout 1,341 corporations totaled 52,695 folks.
By funding stage, 527 out of 905 corporations analyzed had raised seed to pre-Collection B capital, representing 58.2 p.c. Forty-eight corporations had secured Collection C or increased funding, accounting for five.2 p.c.
These figures illustrate the dimensions of corporations represented underneath KOSPO’s umbrella and body the group’s coverage affect throughout the broader Korea startup ecosystem.
Kim Jae-won’s Coverage Agenda: AI Quota and Rising Trade Reform
In his inaugural remarks, Elice Group CEO and Korea Startup Discussion board (KOSPO)’s new chairman Kim Jae-won acknowledged:
“Getting into an period of a KRW 730 trillion nationwide finances, KOSPO goals to turn out to be a key coverage accomplice in designing the way forward for the nationwide financial system.
As we mark our tenth anniversary in 2026, we are going to strengthen regulatory innovation in rising industries, together with the introduction of an AI expertise quota system, and improve international cooperation in order that the seeds planted over the previous decade bear fruit within the startup ecosystem.”
His reference to an “AI expertise quota system” and regulatory reform in rising industries indicators an intent to form legislative and institutional frameworks affecting sectors corresponding to AI, local weather tech, and different new industrial classes.
Sure, the releases don’t specify coverage particulars, and no formal proposal has but been introduced. Nonetheless, the emphasis on regulatory innovation was repeated throughout a number of statements.
In the meantime, former chair Han Sang-woo commented:
“Regardless of monetary and coverage challenges, we achieved significant outcomes as a dependable operating mate for startups because of the dedication of our members and secretariat. I help additional progress underneath Chairperson Kim Jae-won’s management.”
Korea Startup Discussion board: From Facilitator to “Drawback-Fixing Platform”
KOSPO declared that it’s going to transition from being a facilitator of innovation to what it describes as a “problem-solving platform” designing the following decade of Korean startups.
Deliberate initiatives embrace supporting member corporations’ AI transformation, increasing international partnerships, and upgrading COMEUP 2026, Korea’s flagship international startup convention. The group additionally plans a tenth anniversary marketing campaign to advertise entrepreneurship and reposition startups as a central model of the Korean financial system.
The affiliation beforehand expanded {industry} councils in sectors corresponding to telemedicine and authorized tech, and extra just lately added AI, MICE tech, and local weather tech. It has positioned itself as a counterpart to authorities ministries and the Nationwide Meeting on startup-related coverage discussions.
Why This Management Shift Issues Past Titles
KOSPO just isn’t a regulatory physique, however its membership scale offers it weight in legislative consultations and coverage roundtables. The white paper information underscores that corporations inside its community account for substantial income, funding, and employment figures.
For international stakeholders, this management change indicators how Korea’s startup advocacy could evolve in 2026. An AI-focused founder now leads the nation’s largest startup affiliation at a time when emerging-industry regulation and AI coverage are underneath lively dialogue.
The announcement doesn’t introduce new funding packages or authorities mandates. As an alternative, it frames an intention to strengthen regulatory reform dialogue and international cooperation.
Within the Asia-Pacific startup ecosystem, {industry} associations usually form mushy energy via agenda-setting, white papers, and coverage proposals. KOSPO’s shift towards a extra assertive “problem-solving” identification suggests a deeper function in regulatory debates that have an effect on market entry, compliance prices, and sector-specific licensing frameworks.
Wanting Forward: A Take a look at of Coverage Affect
The approaching 12 months will check how successfully KOSPO interprets its agenda into measurable regulatory outcomes. The emphasis on AI transformation help and emerging-industry rule reform locations the group on the intersection of startup advocacy and nationwide industrial technique.
COMEUP 2026 and anniversary campaigns could increase international visibility, however long-term influence will seemingly rely on whether or not coverage proposals acquire traction inside authorities channels.
For founders and buyers assessing Korea’s startup regulatory reform panorama, the change in management is much less about symbolism and extra about coverage positioning.
Key Takeaway of Korea’s Startup Discussion board New Chair
- Korea Startup Discussion board elected Elice Group CEO Kim Jae-won as its fifth chair on the 2026 Annual Basic Meeting.
- Membership exceeds 2,600 corporations, with 2025 income of KRW 18.93 trillion and cumulative funding of KRW 28.60 trillion amongst surveyed members.
- Kim emphasised regulatory innovation in rising industries, together with dialogue of an AI expertise quota system.
- KOSPO declared a transition towards a “problem-solving platform” function because it marks its tenth anniversary.
- The management shift could affect Korea startup regulatory reform discussions in 2026, significantly in AI and new {industry} sectors.
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