○ On April 21, Incheon Port Authority (www.icpa.or.kr, president: Jun-wook Choi) announced that IPA has managed to earn the Outstanding grade in the 2021 Public Institution Mutual Growth Evaluation held by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (minister: Chil-seung Kwon).

○ According to IPA, this is the first time IPA has received the Outstanding grade since its founding. Among the 133 public institutions participating in the evaluation, there were 26 institutions including IPA that earned the Outstanding grade, and the grade system consists of the following hierarchy: Outstanding - Superb - Satisfactory - Adequate - Unsatisfactory.

○ The safety device installation project promoted by IPA was selected as one of the best examples. This project helped SME partners ensure safety by installing safety devices such as front and rear cameras as well as human detection cameras on their heavy equipment. 75 safety devices were installed through this project. IPA especially was recognized for its contributions toward the development of mutual cooperation with SMEs through the promotion of a mutual growth project that has a real impact on partner companies by expanding aid even to secondary and tertiary partner companies.

○ Also, IPA has provided aid for expanding ESG management awareness, conducting job competency enhancement training, and participating in online/offline expositions for partner companies, and in December, IPA concluded the Innovative Wage Disparity Solution Agreement with the Korea Commission for Corporate Partnership and engaged in various activities such as operating an SME aid program with a KRW 120 billion budget by December 2023.

○ IPA President Jun-wook Choi stated, “We were able to achieve the Outstanding grade in the mutual growth evaluation after working steadily toward mutual cooperation with the SME partners of Incheon Port,” adding, “We will continue to lead the way in the construction of an mutual cooperation ecosystem by discovering new aid projects for mutual growth with our SME partners.”

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= Incheon Port selected as an Outstanding SME for Mutual Growth and ESG Management 2021 / Provider = Incheon Port Authority