"Only Face-to-Face Group Education Allowed: 'Compulsory Education Completion' Method Needs Improvement"

Ombudsman Park Joobong and Self-Employed Secretary In Taeyeon Address Small Business Challenges in Gwangju and Jeonnam Regions

Park Ju-bong, the Ombudsman, speaking at the on-site meeting with small business owners in the Gwangju-Jeonnam region.
[Photo by Small and Medium Business Ombudsman].

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jong-hwa] "In a world where even elementary school education is conducted online, the mandatory education completion method for game-related business operators such as PC rooms and arcades, which is conducted only through 'face-to-face group education,' is a system that is far behind the times."

On the 18th, this criticism came from a small business owner during the on-site meeting with small business owners in the Gwangju and Jeonnam areas held in Gwangju Metropolitan City, along with Park Ju-bong, Small and Medium Business Ombudsman (vice-ministerial level, Ombudsman), and In Tae-yeon, Secretary for Self-Employment at the Presidential Secretariat.

In response, Ombudsman Park said, "As a result of continuous consultations with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism regarding this agenda for several years, the relevant department is currently conducting a legal review to prepare an online education program," adding, "We will continuously monitor the progress and provide updates on the results."

The meeting was organized to listen to the various on-site voices of small business owners struggling due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and to reflect the results in policy.

Before the meeting, Ombudsman Park and Secretary In visited Yangdong Market located in Seo-gu, Gwangju, to participate in a shopping event, then moved to the Gwangju Honam Regional Headquarters of the Small Enterprise and Market Service to hear about the current status of COVID-19 support for small business owners.

Secretary In said, "When visiting the field, I hear that thanks to emergency loans for small business owners and the New Hope Fund, small business owners have been able to breathe a little despite the difficult business environment," encouraging the efforts of the Small Enterprise and Market Service staff.

About 40 small business owners and representatives of cooperatives and organizations from the Gwangju and Jeonnam regions attended the subsequent meeting. To promptly reflect the difficulties raised on-site in policies, Park Nam-eon, Director of the Job and Economy Office of Gwangju Metropolitan City; Kim Il-yung, Deputy Mayor of Seo-gu, Gwangju; Lee Hyun-jo, Director of the Gwangju Jeonnam Regional Small and Medium Venture Business Administration; and Heo Young-hoe, Vice President of the Small Enterprise and Market Service, participated to discuss solutions together.

On that day, small business owners raised various on-site difficulties such as 'allowing online education for game-related business operators,' 'weekday operation of the deposit system for empty containers,' and 'differentiation of punishment standards for violations of the origin labeling law.'

Ombudsman Park stated that along with promoting improvements to the face-to-face education system, "We will actively consult with related ministries such as the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of SMEs and Startups, and Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs regarding the matters raised today, including the deposit system for empty containers, to achieve results."

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