"Not Quarantine but Disaster Relief Blind Spot" Futsal Court Owners Urge Fair Quarantine Measures

April 4 Afternoon Rally in Front of Yeouido Democratic Party Office
"Violent Quarantine Measures, No More"

Futsal field owners nationwide held a rally on the 4th in front of the Democratic Party of Korea headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, demanding government compensation and support measures. Photo by the National Futsal Field Association

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] As the ban on gatherings of five or more people continues due to the impact of COVID-19, futsal field owners nationwide have also demanded government compensation and support measures.

The National Futsal Field Association held a rally on the 4th in front of the Democratic Party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, urging the government to "stop the violent quarantine measures that marginalize a minority."

On this day, Cha Seong-wook, president of the National Futsal Field Association, demanded clear government quarantine guidelines for the futsal industry. President Cha stated, "Futsal is played by 10 to 12 people using a fixed 800㎡ space for two hours, but operations have been suspended for two months since private gatherings of five or more people were banned. There are about 10,000 related businesses and over 40,000 workers, yet the government has completely ignored us."

He continued, "The government's policy direction is full of prejudice and excessively uniform, and the damage always falls unilaterally on small and medium-sized business owners. The damage to small business owners is only considered after each suffers individually and then unites to shout that it is unreasonable," he criticized.

President Cha also appealed, "We have continuously inquired with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, and local governments, but received responses such as 'some places allow it,' 'some places do not,' and 'some places are unsure,' which proves that even the characteristics of the futsal industry are not being considered."

Finally, President Cha emphasized, "We urge the establishment of exclusive business policies for the futsal industry based on size and number of people," and "We demand disaster relief compensation for the futsal industry, which is excluded from banned gathering facilities where only formal operations are possible but actual operations are impossible."

Meanwhile, the National Futsal Field Association plans to continue rallies, increasing their scale weekly.

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