As an advanced-model special support institution to head Seoul City's strategy industry for smaller companies, the Seoul Business Agency (SBA) is giving the Agency's heart and soul toward making Seoul strategy industries more competitive. Notably, the Agency is attracting interest among associated institutions as well as smaller companies as SBA transforms into an international organization with a viewto accomplishing its trade goal worth US$ 1 billion (approx. 1.022 trillion won). In an interview with the Korea IT Times carried out as part of the feature on the Seoul City traffic system revolution, SBA president & CEO Kwon Oh-nam, said that the Agency is placing special emphasis on supporting and nurturing Seoul-model strategy industries such as the fashion industry, animation industry and technology industrialization support project, activation support for the commencement of enterprises, marketing support at home and abroad for market pioneering by smaller companies, overseas commerce, as well as overseas investment attraction support, and overseas employment support through global talent nurturing. First of all, the CEO stressed the importance of capital and marketing support for smaller companies, pointing out the most urgent challenge for smaller companies is solving short-term funding and marketing ability. In that respect, SBA is devoting much effort to helping smaller companies suffering from the lack of funds and marketing ability to overcome such difficulties. In terms of marketing, Kwon elaborated on how the Agency helps smaller companies with such difficulties in the fields of animation, IT & BT overcome such obstacles. With priority given to China, the Agency currently is supporting marketing in three stages, namely pre-marketing before delegation's departure, contract conclusion on the spot and up to post management systems. Kwon said the Agency secured contracts worth US$ 200 million (approx. 2 billion won) to date since the beginning of this year through exhibition marketing support of 15 times a year and aims to accomplish over US$ 300 million (approx. 3 billion won) by the end of the year. Selection & concentration strategy. The CEO pointed out that SBA supports smaller companies associated with Seoul strategy industries by means of a selection and concentration strategy. As part of such plans, the Agency has introduced 600 smaller companies as its member companies to support by sectors, for instance by IT member company, by animation member company, and by fashion member company. By means of affairs agreement with Credit Guarantee Foundations, SBA support extends even to recommendations to these Credit Guarantee Foundations for smaller companies suffering from lack of funds. What is noteworthy in this regard is that the Agency has been operating a Seoul Trade Office in Beijing, China since March this year. This Seoul Trade Office, which will perform an advanced base role for Seoul's smaller companies making inroads into the Chinese market, is playing an export outpost role toward China for Seoul-model strategy industries such as fashion, animation, IT, and BT etc. Kwon further explained that this Seoul Trade Office also supports economic exchanges between Seoul's smaller enterprises and Beijing's smaller enterprises. He added that this Seoul Trade Office carries out a role of offering an on-the-spot sales channel, such as Dongdaemun clothing fashion products, for the purpose of Seoul City strategy industry products onthe- spot sales as well as inroads support. Concerning its operation direction, CEO Kwon notes that SBA plans to focus on substantial trade creation through direct sales service for on-the-spot companies, offering convenient facilities where Korea's smaller enterprises can engage in trade discussions with Chinese companies at any time. In particular, Beijing's Seoul Trade Office is promoting the establishment of "Hi Seoul's Brand Sale pavilion." This Hi Seoul Brand business is intended to strengthen and support Korean enterprises as well as product competitiveness by allowing Seoul's superior smaller companies suffering from their inherent brandnurturing difficulties owing to the lack of publicity as well as marketing ability although they possess excellent technology and productive power, to use Hi Seoul as their brand and to support those smaller companies. Public enterprise standard model institution With its Beijing Seoul Trade Office establishment as an impetus, SBA is planning to open further Trade Offices in Moscow and Tokyo, the president said, considering that Seoul's smaller enterprises trade is rising with China (30% of the total), Japan (20% of the total), and Russia (10% of the total). As the SBA's seven strategic projects, Kwon names the erection of the new Agency building alongside the Seoul Trade Exhibition Center, the erection of the ani complex & fashion culture center, specialization of the Seoul Trade Exhibition Center, business scope's expansion including the erection of DMC educationalindustrial- laboratorial center and strengthening global business such as the Northeast Asia region's overseas trade office enlargement. To carry out these strategic projects successfully, he emphasized that SBA is pushing ahead with management rationalization, including function-centered organization as well as structure reorganization and performance-oriented management system. Moreover, the CEO is striving for the integration of groundwork efforts as well as activation of information systems, namely a web mail system and electronic settlement system's integration construction. As a result of management assessment by the City of Seoul Metropolitan Government, SBA held the top ranking last year among seven institutions that Seoul City financed, according to Kwon. The SBA chief has committed himself to transforming the SBA into a top quality public enterprise institution through continuous management innovation, securing the highest degree of customer satisfaction.