Lotte Group paid 949.5 billion won ($698 million) to about 12,000 partner companies an average of eight days ahead of schedule before South Korea’s Chuseok holiday. Twenty-seven affiliates participated in the annual program, which Lotte has operated before major holidays since 2013 to help suppliers cover seasonal expenses such as employee bonuses and raw-material payments. Lotte also operates a 1 trillion won Shared Growth Fund and a Shared Payment System that helps suppliers convert receivables into cash at financing rates comparable to those available to large companies. Its Lotte Brand Expo has involved more than 1,600 small and medium-sized enterprises since 2016 and generated over $1.2 billion in cumulative export consultations. The latest Madrid event involved 50 Korean SMEs, 522 consultations and potential deals worth $33.56 million. Lotte also held a March concert for 1,300 employees from 340 partner companies.