Strengthening Ties: The Evolution of UK-South Korea Entrepreneurial Collaboration
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In the last five years, the partnership between the UK’s Social Enterprise Academy (SEA) and South Korea’s Kickstart Asia has become a beacon of international entrepreneurial collaboration. SEA, a leading entrepreneurial support organisation from the UK, joined forces with Kickstart Asia, a dynamic accelerator endorsed by the South Korean government, to foster entrepreneurial spirit and innovation.
Kickstart Asia has played a pivotal role in transplanting UK entrepreneurial methodologies to South Korea, collaborating with governmental bodies such as the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, as well as numerous universities and research institutes. This collaboration is crucial given South Korea’s reputation as having one of the most vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystems globally. The collaboration has yielded numerous cross-border innovations, largely due to the efforts of Jess Kemp at SEA and Taeje Park at Kickstart Asia.
The partnership was initiated five years ago by Taeje Park, Chairman of Kickstart Asia, who began discussions with Neil McLean, CEO of SEA, in Edinburgh. This marked the beginning of a fruitful bilateral collaboration that has transferred valuable UK entrepreneurship knowledge to thousands of Korean entrepreneurs. SEA’s social enterprise programs and local innovation initiatives have seamlessly integrated with South Korean governmental support for innovation, leading to the development of certification courses for entrepreneurs and organisations.
Taeje Park, a seasoned policy advisor and accelerator, has been influential in enhancing entrepreneurial ecosystems in Asia. His current doctoral research at the Manchester Institute of Innovation Research (MIOIR) and memberships with the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) and the Royal Anthropological Institute (RAI) further enable him to contribute to and engage with the UK’s entrepreneurial sectors.
Entrepreneurship has been a cornerstone of both historical and modern UK society, and this bilateral cooperation with South Korea is pivotal in shaping the future of global entrepreneurship. Taeje Park commented on the collaboration, stating, “We are pleased to mark a significant milestone in the collaboration between Social Enterprise Academy (SEA) and Kickstart Asia. We look forward to the promising future ahead,” highlighting the optimism for continued success in their joint ventures.
