Korea's 예비창업패키지 in 2026: an average of KRW 40 million in two stages, and a 22 January cutoff

Updated 18 September 2026. Corrected against the 2026 공고, 중소벤처기업부 공고 제2026-207호. Earlier versions gave a KRW 80 million ceiling and an announcement-date eligibility test, both taken from KISED's overview page.

Every Korean funding ladder starts before the company exists. The first public money most Korean founders touch is 예비창업패키지. 창업진흥원 (KISED) administers it, under the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.

Two official documents describe it, and in 2026 they disagree. KISED's programme overview page is a yearly summary. The 공고 is the call itself, last revised on 24 March 2026, and it is the text that binds.

Who qualifies: a cutoff date, not the announcement date

The 2026 공고 sets the test in one line. On 22 January 2026, the applicant must hold no business registration certificate (사업자등록증) in their own name. They must also hold no legal power to represent a corporation (법인의 법률상 대표권).

Two notes follow the line. Anyone who registered a business or a corporation on or after 23 January 2026 could still apply. A 대표이사, 각자대표 or 공동대표, or a 사내이사 with representative power, could not.

KISED's overview page still words the rule as 공고일 기준, as of the announcement date. The 2026 call came out on 27 February 2026, yet it fixed the cutoff five weeks earlier. Where the two documents differ, follow the 공고.

There is one exception. A sole proprietor who ran only a 부동산임대업 (property rental) business on 22 January 2026, with no employees, could apply. That founder must then set up a corporation in a different industry by two months before the agreement ends.

What it pays

The 공고 prints the commercialisation fund (사업화 자금) as an average of KRW 40 million (평균 0.4억원). It prints no ceiling. Payment stays within the amount the applicant asked for, and the evaluation results set different amounts for different founders.

Payment comes in two stages. Stage one pays KRW 20 million toward market research and a minimum viable product. At the midpoint of the agreement, a review of stage-one progress picks about half the founders for additional funding.

The founder puts in nothing. The 공고 states the budget per founder as 100% government money, with no self-contribution (자기부담사업비 없음).

KISED's overview page prints 최대 0.8억원, a ceiling of KRW 80 million. The 2026 공고 does not repeat it. Plan on the 공고's figure, an average of KRW 40 million in two stages.

The fund pays for prototype production, intellectual-property filing, business-model work and marketing. Alongside the cash, the host institution runs education, mentoring and MVP support.

The 2026 cycle, as the 공고 printed it

The 공고 came out on 27 February 2026. Applications ran from 6 to 26 March 2026 and closed at 6 pm on the last day. The revision of 24 March extended the application deadline.

Screening and selection ran to April. Agreements and the first payments followed in May. The programme then runs for eight months, from June 2026 to January 2027.

The next call will set its own dates and its own cutoff. In 2026 the pattern was a late-February 공고 and a March window.

Applying

Applications go online only, through the K-Startup portal (k-startup.go.kr), and the applicant must pass real-name verification there. The submission is a business plan on the template attached to the 공고, plus supporting documents. The 공고 drops a plan on any other form from evaluation.

Each applicant picks one host institution (주관기관), which then runs the evaluation, the funds and the programmes. The 2026 Q&A attachment allows any host, whatever the applicant's place of residence.

If you are a foreign founder

Foreigners can apply. The 2026 Q&A attachment says so directly, and identity checks accept the alien registration number (외국인등록번호) and name on a card from the Ministry of Justice's immigration service. A foreigner whose real-name details are not yet on file with SCI (서울신용평가정보) must register them before applying.

The 공고 prints no language rule. It does require the official plan template attached to it, which is a Korean form. The Q&A accepts that template in Microsoft Word as well as HWP.

Selection comes with a duty to set up in Korea. By two months before the agreement ends, a selected founder must register a business in the industry of the selected item. The business must then stay open for at least one year after the agreement ends.

If you are selected

Stage-one funding arrives with the agreement, and the midpoint review decides stage two. The programme runs through the host institution, which is where the mentoring and MVP support happen.

The rung above this one — 초기창업패키지, for companies that have registered and started trading — is where the ladder continues. That boundary is its own subject.