Business certifications & designations

Baeknyeon Gage (Hundred-Year Store) Designation Application — 30 Years in Business Requirement and Documents to Prepare

Baeknyeon Gage (Hundred-Year Store) is a program in which the Ministry of SMEs and Startups evaluates, designates and supports micro enterprise stores that have been in business for 30 years or more. A store taken over from parents and carried on can also apply if it meets the years-in-business requirement, but franchise stores and dealerships are not eligible. Before applying, first check whether the 30 years in business can be proven continuously with documents.

Procedure

Procedure type
  • Certification Difficulty High

    Designation or certification after document review and on-site evaluation against the criteria set by the agency. The result depends on the evaluation score or review outcome.

  1. 1. Check eligibility to apply

    The store must be a micro enterprise store with 30 years or more in business, and franchise stores and dealerships cannot apply. Excluded business types and detailed requirements may change in each year's public notice, so check the latest notice first.

  2. 2. Organize proof of years in business

    Collect the business registration history, records of closure and reopening and the history of changes of representative, and organize them to show whether the 30 years continued without a break. If the family business was taken over, documents showing the parent-child relationship and the time of succession are also needed.

  3. 3. Prepare the application and store introduction materials

    Write the application in the form given in the public notice, and set out the signature menu items or products, the way the store is operated and the history of the store. Attaching photos and materials that match the evaluation items makes it easier to convey the content in the review.

  4. 4. Evaluation and designation

    Whether the store is designated is decided through the submitted documents and an evaluation. The evaluation method and schedule are set by public notice each year, so follow the procedure stated in the notice.

Required documents

  • Application (form in the public notice)
  • Business registration certificate and business registration history (including certificate of suspension or closure of business)
  • For family business succession: family relation certificate and materials on the circumstances of succession
  • Store photos and materials introducing the signature menu items or products
  • Materials confirming micro enterprise status (sales and number of regular employees)

Fees

Administrative service fee
  • Basic scope from KRW 600,000
All administrative service fees exclude 10% VAT.

There is no fee for the application itself. Our office fee starts from the amount shown above and may vary depending on how complex the history of representative changes and business suspension or closure is; we will give you an exact quote after reviewing your documents.

Legal basis and review date

  • Act on the Protection of and Support for Micro Enterprises, Article 16
  • Act on the Protection of and Support for Micro Enterprises, Article 16-2
  • Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Protection of and Support for Micro Enterprises, Article 2
  • Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Protection of and Support for Micro Enterprises, Article 5-6
  • Operational Guidelines on the Designation and Management of Hundred-Year Micro Enterprises, Article 5
  • Operational Guidelines on the Designation and Management of Hundred-Year Micro Enterprises, Article 6

Checked against the statutes on

Statutes and public notices change, so each case needs to be checked individually. Statute titles are given in English for reference. The Korean statutes are the authoritative text.

Check these first

  • Excluded business types and evaluation items change by public notice each year, so check the latest notice.
  • Years in business must continue without a break on paper, so check the business registration history first.

Frequently asked questions

How many years must a store have operated to apply for Baeknyeon Gage?
Micro enterprise stores with 30 years or more in business are eligible. The name means hundred-year store, but the application requirement is 30 years.
I took over my parents' store. Are the years in business added together?
A store carried on through family business succession is also eligible if it meets the years-in-business requirement. The parent-child relationship and the time of succession must be shown by documents, so prepare the family relation certificate together with the business registration history.
Can a franchise store become a Baeknyeon Gage?
No. Franchise stores and dealerships are excluded from eligibility.
If the store closed and reopened in between, are the years in business interrupted?
Years in business are recognized as continuous only where operation was temporarily suspended for an unavoidable reason such as a natural disaster or an infectious disease. If the business was closed for another reason and then reopened, or the main business type changed, the years in business may be interrupted, so check the business registration history first.

Contact us

Hwang Yunsang Administrative Office in Songdo, Incheon prepares and submits administrative documents and explains the procedure. If your situation is similar, send us a message.

📍 2697, 26F POSCO Tower-Songdo, 165 Convensia-daero, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, Republic of Korea · 📞 010-3374-2687 · 🌐 hwangadmin.com

This guide is general information based on public sources. Requirements, documents and deadlines differ by case and by the competent agency, so please confirm them before you proceed.