Chairman Jobonghwan "Assessing Domestic Impact of Wuhan Pneumonia"... Visit to Gangneung Jungang Market

Jo Bong-hwan, President of the Small Enterprise and Market Service (center), visited Jungang Market in Gangneung, Gangwon Province on the 29th to assess the impact of the domestic economy caused by the novel coronavirus and showed determination to overcome the crisis with officials from the merchants' association.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daeseop] The Small Enterprise and Market Service (SEMAS) visited Gangneung Jungang Market in Gangwon Province to assess the post-Lunar New Year business conditions and the impact of the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia) on the domestic economy, the agency announced on the 29th.

On that day, SEMAS Director Cho Bong-hwan met with representatives of the merchants' association and said, "We are identifying whether there is any impact on the domestic economy due to the novel coronavirus," adding, "The government is prepared to respond actively, so please do not have excessive anxiety." He also stated, "The agency will continue to show interest and support to create an environment where small business owners and traditional markets can work with peace of mind."

A representative of the merchants' association said, "There are reports of suspected cases in our Gangwon Province, but so far the direct impact does not seem significant," adding, "However, given the already poor domestic economy, these situations overlapping naturally cause concern from the merchants' perspective."

Following the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' directive to inject emergency funds for the novel coronavirus the day before, SEMAS is monitoring customer sales trends at small business sites. Preparations are underway to deploy emergency management stabilization funds if necessary. A task force team has been established within the agency to prepare for emergency situations.

Director Cho also visited the recovery site of a small business store that suffered damage from last year's Gangwon wildfires. This business, located on Jangsa Hanghaean-gil in Sokcho City, Gangwon Province, was completely destroyed but resumed operations on June 3rd last year with recovery support from the agency.

SEMAS has been supporting the purchase of necessary items such as construction, demolition, facility equipment, and product materials, as well as providing management stabilization funds, using the supplementary budget of 30.5 billion KRW allocated for the prompt recovery support of small business owners affected by the wildfire damage.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.