Mayor Lee Yong-seop Listens to On-site Difficulties and Requests of Small Business Owners

On the morning of the 10th, Lee Yong-seop, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, attended a meeting with the Small Business Association and industry representatives in the city hall's medium conference room to listen to the difficulties and suggestions of small business owners. Photo by Gwangju Metropolitan City

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] On the 10th, Gwangju Metropolitan City held a meeting with representatives of local small business sectors in the city hall conference room to candidly listen to the difficulties and suggestions they are experiencing on the ground due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and to seek countermeasures.

The meeting, chaired by Mayor Lee Yong-seop, was attended by 14 representatives from various sectors including Lee Kyung-chae, president of the Gwangju Small Business Association, the president of the Gwangju Merchants Association, and representatives from academies, karaoke rooms, wedding businesses, entertainment bars, bakeries, food service, bathhouses, lodging, laundry, and beauty salons.

At the meeting, small business owners expressed difficulties such as decreased sales due to prolonged social distancing, exclusion from support payments due to various restrictions, and the burden of fixed costs such as rent, labor costs, and public utility fees, requesting diverse support measures.

Lee Kyung-chae, president of the Gwangju Small Business Association, said, “We are grateful that Gwangju City recognizes the difficulties of small business owners and has created a communication opportunity to proactively seek their opinions,” adding, “We ask that the suggestions made here be reflected in city policies.”

Mayor Lee Yong-seop said, “I fully understand the desperate feelings of small business owners who are suffering greatly from the social disaster caused by COVID-19,” and added, “With the belief that Gwangju will be happy only when small business owners are happy, we will reflect the opinions shared at today’s meeting in policies and soon devise multifaceted support measures.”

Earlier, on the 8th and 9th, Mayor Lee visited Jangmi Street at Chosun University and the back gate of Chonnam National University to directly identify the difficulties faced by small business owners on site.

Meanwhile, Gwangju City has prepared and supported 12 rounds of livelihood stabilization measures to assist vulnerable groups and small business owners struggling due to COVID-19. To alleviate the burden of fixed costs such as rent and labor, the city provided loans totaling approximately 657.1 billion won to 26,309 businesses through three rounds of zero-interest special guarantees.

Additionally, the city issued the local currency Gwangju Sangsaeng Card, which surpassed 1 trillion won in local usage over two years. In line with the trend of non-face-to-face order delivery, Gwangju is preparing a public delivery app with a commission rate in the 2% range, pursuing various policies to reduce the burden on small business owners and increase sales for self-employed individuals.

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