Win-win partnership

Win-win partnership (동반성장/同伴成長) means mutual developing cooperation between the big companies and the small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

The National Commission for Corporate Partnership (NCCP, 동반성장위원회/同伴成長委員會) was established under the below-mentioned law to identify the issues of social conflict arising out of the relationship between big companies and small and medium enterprises, and discuss them in a constructive way, thereby inducing a consensus in the private sector, and to make a centripetal body disseminating the win-win partnership culture in December 2010.

Key words
win-win partnership, corporate partnership, small and medium-sized enterprise, NCCP, disturber

Statutory ground
The NCCP was founded under the Corporate Partnership Foundation (대ㆍ중소기업협력재단) subject to Article 20-2 of the Act to Promote the Win-win Cooperation between Big and Small Enterprises (대ㆍ중소기업 상생협력 촉진에 관한 법률).

The Commission was an offspring of the strategic meeting for the win-win corporate partnership between big and small enterprises held at the Blue House in September 2010.

Organization
The NCCP consists of 25 members including a Commissioner and 9 representatives from big coporations, 9 representatives from small and medium enterprises, and 6 representatives for the public interest.

There are working committee by major functions, and 12 committees by industries.

The Commission conducts the following functions:
 * To disseminate the win-win partnership in the economy;
 * To prepare and disclose the the Corporate Partnership Indices of big corporations (대기업의 동반성장지수);
 * To set up criteria to designate, and check up, the items suitable for small and medium enterprises (중소기업 적합업종ㆍ품목 기준); and others.

Promoter or Disturber?
An increasing number of corporations join the corporate partnership campaign. In October 2013, SK Global Chemical (SK종합화학) was praised by the NCCP as the best partner for small and mid-sized firms.

But some entrepreneurs are complaining that corporate partnership is damaged by such indifferent government campaign. Take an example of tofu manufacturing which has been confined to small and medium enterprises by the NCCP. This results in decreasing purchase of homegrown bean by big corporations, thus devastating the agro-business of soy farmers. It's because the small and medium tofu factories prefer cheaper imported bean to expensive homegrown bean. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (농림축산식품부) asked the NCCP to allow big corporations to manufacture tofu so as to consume more homegrown bean.