Director of the Start-up Support Center at Jeju University, Jinu Park, said, “we participated as the mentor organization for Startup for Everyone, the remarkable accomplishment of ranking first”

- Regional growth talent development project (anchor), Glocal 3.0 project, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups’ Early-Stage Startup Package, SCOUT project, specialized capability BI incubation project, and Everyone’s Startup are organically linked, ushering in a critical turning point in which the paradigm of local innovation and the startup ecosystem is changing

- Discovering enterprises in Jeju’s key advanced industry sectors that will drive the future, such as bio and health, green mobility, and intelligent services, and leading practical support for connections with them

- Last year, through a field-tailored support system, we generated sales of KRW 4 billion and 965.31 million, created 37 jobs, and secured investment of KRW 1 billion and 903.09 million, yielding valuable results


- As the province’s only flagship national university, leveraging the infrastructure of 24 research institutes and research centers and more than 450 specialized R&D talents, comprehensively supporting technology commercialization and field validation (testbed)

- Activate linkages with local funds, including the KRW 10 billion-scale “Korea-Japan Jeju Startup Fund” established with direct participation from Jeju National University

As the only flagship national university in the province, Jeju National University Start-up Support Center is leading the growth of the local startup ecosystem by actively advancing the Enterprise-linked support project through the Regional Growth Talent Development System (Anchor) project, the Glocal 3.0 project to build the K-Learncation Platform and hub, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups’ Early-Stage Startup Package project, the STARTUP Co-Op University for Transition of edu (SCOUT) project, the specialized-capacity BI incubation project, and Startup for Everyone. In particular, the Start-up Support Center has drawn attention for establishing a comprehensive start-up support system by organically operating the entrepreneurship education center, Business Incubation Center, and start-up support center under one coordinated framework.
The Entrepreneurship Education Center focuses on cultivating the entrepreneurial spirit of enrolled students, systematically educating them in the practical management knowledge, values, and attitudes they must possess as prospective entrepreneurs, and nurturing future entrepreneurial talent. The Start-up Incubation Center supports early-stage companies in establishing stable operations by providing startup businesses with incubation space, facilities, and incubation programs, enabling them to carry out the technology development and prototype production activities required for launching a business in a stable and well-supported environment. In particular, this year, it participated as the mentoring institution for Startup for Everyone, demonstrating differentiated capabilities and achieving the remarkable accomplishment of ranking first in the number of applicants in Jeju Island. In addition, the Start-up Support Center is leveraging our university’s excellent infrastructure to support enrolled students and faculty in developing laboratory research achievements into promising entrepreneurial ventures.
Jinu Park, Director of the Start-up Support Center at Jeju National University, said, “As the lead organization for the Early-Stage Startup Package, we have selected early-stage startup companies with original ideas and Technology and support the commercialization of entrepreneurship,” adding, “We are serving as a solid foundation so that they can enter the market stably and continue long-term, sustainable growth.” On July 24, we met with Director Park at the Start-up Support Center at Jeju National University in Jeju City, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province.

Jinu Park, Director of the Start-up Support Center at Jeju University
Ph.D. in Economics, Sungkyunkwan University
Current Professor in the Department of International Trade at Jeju University
Current Director of the Jeju University Start-up Support Center
Current Jeju University Business Incubation Center Director, Start-up Support Center Director
Former researcher at Trade Research Institute, Sungkyunkwan University
Former researcher at the Tourism Research Center, Jeju Tourism Organization
Former Senior Researcher, Research and Development Division, Korea Institute of Origin Information
Former Visiting Researcher, Graduate School of Commerce, Waseda University

You took office as head of the Start-up Support Center in July. Please tell us how you feel about it.
“As the head of the Start-up Support Center at Jeju National University—the only flagship national university in the province—I feel a profound sense of mission in taking on the important responsibility of energizing Jeju’s startup ecosystem. Currently, the Jeju National University Start-up Support Center is entering a pivotal transition period in which regional innovation and the startup ecosystem are being reshaped, as it organically connects initiatives such as the Regional Growth Talent Development Project (Anchor), Glocal 3.0, the SCOUT Project, the Specialized Capability BI Incubation Project, and Startup for Everyone. Building on the solid foundation established over time, we aim to actively integrate the University’s outstanding research, technology, and infrastructure to create a dynamic culture in which aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs in the region can pursue entrepreneurship without fear of failure.
In particular, having achieved the highest number of applicants in the province for this year’s startup support program, we were able to directly experience the strong momentum on the ground. Going forward, we plan to further enhance our customized support system so that early-stage companies identified through the Startup Incubation Center and the Startup Support Center can establish themselves steadily in the market and grow into competitive global startups. Finally, we will do our utmost to work closely with local governments and relevant organizations so that Jeju National University can become a hub for entrepreneurship that leads to innovative growth in the local economy.”

What do you consider to be the strengths of Jeju National University’s Start-up Support Center?
“First, it has industry-linkage infrastructure tailored to future advanced industries that maximizes Jeju’s unique regional strengths. Jeju is a premier destination for workation—where work and rest can be combined—and offers an optimal natural environment and geographic setting as a business testbed for validating new technologies and business models. The Jeju National University Startup Support Center has combined these regional advantages with the university’s strong human and physical resources, as well as its industry-academia collaboration network. Through this, it is identifying companies in key advanced sectors that will drive Jeju’s future—including bio and health, green mobility, and intelligent services—and leading practical support to connect them with relevant opportunities.
Second, we operate a demand-driven, closely tailored business growth system that moves beyond one-sided, supplier-centered support. Rather than limiting support to one-time funding or training, we are implementing a differentiated program that matches dedicated personnel to each selected startup company. These dedicated professionals accompany companies throughout their growth journey, listen directly to on-the-ground challenges, and tailor programs to match and support each company’s stage of development and specific circumstances. This hands-on, field-oriented support helps startups reduce trial and error and serves as a driving force behind rapid growth, including meaningful revenue increases and job creation.”

Jeju National University has long operated the Ministry of SMEs and Startups’ Early-Stage Startup Package. How would you assess last year’s performance?
“Last year, the Jeju National University Start-up Support Center selected and intensively nurtured 22 general companies and 11 deep-tech companies with outstanding technological capabilities in the bio and medical sectors, with the goal of scaling up the local entrepreneurship ecosystem. Despite external headwinds such as high inflation and a prolonged investment downturn, the program delivered meaningful results through a field-tailored support system, generating KRW 4 billion and 965.31 million in revenue and creating 37 new jobs, thereby making a significant contribution to revitalizing the local economy and creating quality employment opportunities.
Particularly noteworthy is our role in addressing two of the most critical early-stage challenges—capital access and technology protection—by helping secure a total of KRW 1 billion and 903.09 million in investment and serving as a catalyst for growth. We also provided close, hands-on support that enabled startups to protect their core technologies and strengthen market competitiveness, achieving 65 intellectual property filings and registrations, including patents.
These quantitative outcomes demonstrate that the demand-driven mentoring and field-based support we have pursued are functioning effectively in practice. This year as well, we will leverage the operational expertise we have built over the past three years through the Initial Startup Package to run an advanced program that precisely reflects the needs of participating companies. Through this, we will devote our full efforts to supporting substantive Enterprise growth so that more startups can achieve a higher level of growth.”

What is the biggest issue for this year’s project?
“The biggest focus of Jeju National University’s Start-up Support Center this year is the explosive spread of entrepreneurial momentum across the province and the integration of the local startup ecosystem. At the center of this is the Ministry of SMEs and Startups’ Startup for Everyone project. By participating as a mentoring institution and assembling a strong pool of outstanding mentors across each field, our university’s Startup Incubation Center achieved the highest number of applicants in Jeju Province. To ensure this momentum does not end with a one-time round of support, Jeju National University’s Start-up Support Center hosted a Startup Community Day and focused on building a virtuous startup ecosystem that includes even those not selected. Companies advancing to Round 1 received hands-on mentoring to help them move on to the next stage, while those not selected were also given strategic feedback through mentoring so they could strengthen their startup ideas and reapply for the second round of Startup for Everyone. This reflects our commitment to taking full responsibility for nurturing every aspiring and early-stage entrepreneur in the Jeju region through to the end.
The decisive momentum that will drive this startup boom to its peak in Jeju will be the regional startup festival scheduled for this November. As Jeju’s largest startup festival, bringing together all startup-related organizations across the region, it will serve as a pivotal opportunity for Jeju National University’s Start-up Support Center to firmly establish itself as the undisputed hub of startup activity and an innovation center in Jeju. The festival will feature a wide range of programs in one place, including practical IR demo days for attracting investment, one-on-one mentoring and networking with top experts in each field, technology commercialization linkages that showcase outstanding university research achievements, and integrated consultations on customized startup support programs, all while engaging with local founders.”

This year, regional distinctions are being applied in the selection process for the Early-Stage Startup Package. What are the key features?
“The most notable feature of this year’s Early-Stage Startup Package is that it has placed at the forefront region-based restrictions centered on the location of the principal office and financial preferential measures for local startup companies, in order to ease concentration in the metropolitan area and activate the local startup ecosystem.
Previously, companies were free to choose the lead organization anywhere in the country; however, starting this year, applications are restricted to the lead organization within the region where the company’s headquarters is located. In the evaluation process as well, we placed particular emphasis on the degree of linkage with local infrastructure and the potential for long-term regional establishment.
At the same time, differentiated government support ratios will be applied to ease the burden of starting a business outside the Seoul metropolitan area. For companies in the Seoul metropolitan area and other capital-region locations, government funding can cover up to 70% of costs, with a 30% self-contribution. In special support regions, companies may receive up to 90% in government funding, with only a 10% self-contribution. While the cash contribution requirement is the same at 10% for all companies, the in-kind contribution requirement—such as labor costs or equipment—decreases or may be waived as the region receives greater preferential treatment. This provides a meaningful advantage by substantially easing the practical burden on local startups that lack sufficient initial capital.
Accordingly, the Jeju National University Start-up Support Center recruited startups located in the Honam region (Jeju, Gwangju, Jeonnam, and Jeonbuk), selected 19 outstanding companies from within the region, and is currently actively administering commercialization grants and specialized programs.”

What criteria were used to evaluate and select the companies?
“Jeju National University Start-up Support Center most centrally evaluated the growth potential of enterprises within three years of entrepreneurship in the Honam region (Gwangju, Jeonnam, Jeonbuk, and Jeju), focusing on whether the applicable enterprise can utilize Jeju National University’s infrastructure to scale up into Global and nationwide markets.
In particular, the Center favored companies with a strong likelihood of securing actual investment by connecting them to the Start-up Support Center’s available investment resources, and it conducted a thorough assessment of whether the University’s research equipment could be used to produce prototypes and validate technologies within a short timeframe. Final selection was made in order of the highest presentation evaluation scores, and we rigorously assessed the feasibility of each business plan and the capabilities of the CEO. We also applied a differentiated allocation method for government subsidies (up to KRW 100 million, with an average of KRW 50 million) in order to reinforce the program’s overall effectiveness.”

What benefits are provided to the selected companies?
“The benefits provided by the Jeju National University Start-up Support Center are broadly divided into three pillars: commercialization funding support for entrepreneurship projects, specialized entrepreneurship programs, and linkage with University infrastructure. First, to help early-stage startups build a solid financial foundation, it provides startup commercialization funding of up to KRW 100 million, with an average of KRW 50 million, which can be used in practical ways for prototype development, marketing, and intellectual property applications and registrations. Alongside this, we run specialized entrepreneurship programs, such as Market Frontier (Domestic, Global), IR Value Up (Start-Develop-Final), Office Hour Mentoring, Demand-Tailored Enterprise Certification, Bridge Networking Lounge, and Entrepreneurship Lunch Talk to achieve enterprise growth.
Finally, as the only flagship national university in the province, we leverage the university’s infrastructure of 24 research institutes and research centers, along with more than 450 specialized researchers, to provide comprehensive support for technology commercialization and field validation (testbeds). We also match each company with dedicated staff and continue frequent, on-the-ground communication based on the ‘Our Answers Are in the Field’ approach, enabling us to provide customized support that resolves pain points as soon as they arise.”

Could you please tell us a little more about the Start-up Support Center of Jeju National University’s representative entrepreneurship incubation program?
“The startup incubation programs operated by Jeju National University’s Start-up Support Center can be broadly categorized into market development and investment attraction. To begin with, Market Frontier is a market-entry initiative focused on building sales channels and is offered in both Domestic and Global formats. The Domestic Market Frontier program is intended for startups that struggle with marketing because of limited personnel. It pairs them with support staff who work with the company to shape promotional strategies and create content aligned with the company’s products and services for outreach and promotion. Market Frontier (Global) supports international expansion. This year, Taiwan and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, were selected as target countries, and participating companies are supported through pre-consulting, matching with qualified buyers, and local in-person consultations to facilitate export validation, technology transfer, and business agreements. The second program is IR Value Up, which is intended to support investment attraction efforts. IR Value Up is operated in three stages: Start, Develop, and Final. IR Value Up (Start) focuses on IR education for startup companies, while IR Value Up (Develop) conducts mock demo days and supports startups with IR deck redesign and pitching consulting. Finally, IR Value Up (Final) is designed to help startups move toward securing investment through an integrated demo day involving all startup support organizations in the Jeju region. It also provides access to real investment opportunities with venture capital (VC) firms and accelerators (AC), including the KRW 10 billion-scale Korea-Japan Jeju Startup Fund, which was established with direct participation from Jeju National University.”

Could you share some success cases among the startups you support or those currently in residence?
“Among the companies in 2024, two stood out in particular: WithLike and Shinzi Games. WithLike achieved notable growth through its venture concept of popularizing Jeju brands by leveraging K-content and influencers. By developing a co-branded product line with Heebab, a Jeju-born mukbang creator, and using Jeju-sourced raw materials, the company recorded sales of KRW 337,500, created 9 jobs, secured KRW 300 million in retained investment, and was selected as a Top 10 finalist at the 2024 KOREA SHOPPING FESTA AWARDS. Also impressive, Enterprise Shinzi Games attracted attention from many investment firms with its entrepreneurial idea of “developing an MMORPG Version based on the utilization of the Ruler of the Land IP,” immersing players in the world of the Ruler of the Land through beautiful and emotional graphics and maximizing the exhilarating martial arts action experience. The company secured KRW 1,620 million in investment, generated KRW 268 million in sales, and created 28 jobs. In 2025, Quantum Hightech Co., Ltd. achieved distinctive results through Market Frontier (Global), the Jeju National University Start-up Support Center’s representative global market-entry program. The company participated in a joint global demo day spanning Jeju, Singapore, and Malaysia, where it earned the top honor, the Global Launch Award, by placing first overall. In addition, through the program’s core local buyer-matching component, it was matched with Etron EV Solution Pte., Ltd., a global electric vehicle charging and infrastructure solutions company, and successfully advanced a proof of concept (PoC). Building on the technical validation achieved locally, the company further refined its Singapore market entry strategy and was ultimately selected for Global TIPS, a major government-backed program valued at KRW 1.2 billion, in recognition of its technological capabilities and global scalability. With this structured support and growth as a springboard, the company completed the establishment of its Singapore subsidiary in April 2026, creating a strong platform for successful global market entry and localization. In this way, the Jeju National University Start-up Support Center believes it is important to create more success stories for startups across diverse sectors, and it actively supports companies from its perspective.”


What are the goals moving forward?
“Jeju National University Start-up Support Center plans to establish a more advanced business growth ecosystem by operating a substantive, customized specialized entrepreneurship Program that actively reflects the actual needs of enterprises, based on its stable operating experience and Performance in the Early-Stage Startup Package project over the past three years. In particular, this year we aim to significantly strengthen technology commercialization and on-site linkage support by fully mobilizing the university’s extensive infrastructure—24 facilities, including shared laboratories and practice centers as well as related research centers—and more than 450 specialized researchers, with a focus on key advanced industries that will shape Jeju’s future, such as bio and health, green mobility, and intelligent services. In addition, we will provide workation and business validation (testbed) environments that leverage Jeju’s natural advantages, and continue our customer-centered, hands-on support through the “Our Answers Are in the Field” process—a field-oriented communication approach led by dedicated staff.
In addition, we will further advance the Market Frontier program, which assists with domestic and overseas marketing, and the phased IR Value Up program, to help resolve two of the most significant pain points for companies: channel development and investment acquisition. Moreover, by actively expanding collaboration with regional funds, including the KRW 10 billion ‘Korea-Japan Jeju Startup Fund’ created with direct university participation, we will fulfill our role as a comprehensive growth platform, helping Jeju’s high-potential startups move beyond the startup phase and sail confidently into the larger global market.”

reporter jinho lee
jinho2323@hankyung.com