"Up to 30 Million Won" ... Seoul to Accept Applications for Emergency Funds for Small Manufacturers Starting June 5

200 Billion Won Allocated to Support Workers Facing COVID-19 Employment Crisis
Application Periods Differ by Industry: Apparel, Printing, Machinery, and Metal

[Asia Economy, reporter Cho Inkyung] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on June 3 that it will begin accepting applications for 'Emergency Funds for Small Urban Manufacturers' affected by the COVID-19 crisis, starting at 9 a.m. on June 5.

This program will provide up to 30 million won in business funds per company to manufacturing firms in Seoul with fewer than 50 employees that have suffered losses such as decreased sales due to the spread of COVID-19. Selected companies are required to maintain their current workforce for three months.

The city has allocated a total budget of 20 billion won for this emergency funding, and expects that approximately 1,500 companies will benefit from the program.

According to the April workplace labor survey released by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the manufacturing sector, which has the highest proportion of employees, began to see a decline in its workforce starting in February. In March and April alone, the number of employees decreased by about 67,000, highlighting the severity of the employment crisis.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government explained that this emergency support measure is intended not only to help manufacturing companies affected by sales losses due to the spread of COVID-19 continue their operations, but also to support the retention of workers facing an employment crisis.

Applications can be submitted online starting at 9 a.m. on June 5. Applicants can either enter the portal address directly (http://서울제조업긴급사업비.kr) or access the Seoul Metropolitan Government website and click on the dedicated banner.

To prevent server overload, the application schedule will be divided by industry: from June 5 to 19 for apparel and handmade shoe manufacturers, from June 10 to 24 for printing companies, and from June 15 to 29 for machinery and metal industries, with applications accepted in sequence.

To facilitate smooth application processing, the 'Urban Manufacturing Emergency Fund Application Support Center' will also operate on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. during each industry's designated application period.

Details regarding the application period, required documents, and other information can be found in the announcements section of the Seoul Metropolitan Government website.

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