[21st General Election] Sogongyeon Appeals to National Assembly to Quickly Prepare Special Measures for COVID-19

On the 10th, cherry blossoms are in full bloom along Yunjungno near the National Assembly building in Yeouido, Seoul, where spring rain has fallen. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Hyewon] The Korea Federation of Micro Enterprise Associations appealed to the 21st National Assembly to promptly establish special measures to address the ongoing novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis. They also expressed their welcome regarding the election of key figures from the microenterprise and small and medium-sized business sectors, including former Federation Chairman Choi Seung-jae, as proportional representatives of major political parties in the general election.

On the 16th, Kim Im-yong, acting head of the Federation, issued a statement urging the 21st National Assembly to swiftly prepare special measures for microenterprises severely affected by COVID-19.

Acting head Kim said, "Regarding COVID-19 financial support, direct loan assistance has been significantly expanded, and some parts such as microenterprise disaster relief funds are being implemented by certain local governments," but added, "It is still a distant prospect for the damages suffered by microenterprises due to the COVID-19 crisis to heal."

He continued, "As microenterprises falter, the foundation of the local and national economy is also shaken," and said, "Considering the seriousness of the situation, I hope the National Assembly will be formed as soon as possible to discuss and immediately implement special measures such as direct support for microenterprises, tax reductions, expansion of financial support, and the preparation of supplementary budgets."

Regarding the election of proportional representatives from the microenterprise sector, including former Chairman Choi, he said, "We welcome and look forward to this," adding, "We expect various issues emphasized by the Federation, such as direct support for microenterprises affected by COVID-19, tax reductions, enactment of the Microenterprise Welfare Act, and revision of the Distribution Industry Development Act, to bear legislative fruit."

In this general election, five figures from the small and medium-sized, venture, and microenterprise sectors (Kim Kyung-man, former head of the Economic Policy Headquarters at the Korea Federation of SMEs; Lee Dong-joo, former vice chairman of the Korea Federation of Micro and Small Business Owners; Han Mu-kyung, former president of the Korea Women Entrepreneurs Association; Choi Seung-jae, former chairman of the Federation; and Lee Young, former president of the Korea Women Venture Association) were elected as proportional representatives to the National Assembly.

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