"Expectations Gone Up in Smoke" Self-Employed Workers Now Have No Strength Left to Voice Despair

Until just ten days ago, hopes for consumer stimulus were high
4th stage social distancing measures shatter return to normal life

Non-face-to-face measures leave the dining industry anxious
Inconsistent administration draws mixed reactions from citizens

On the 29th, two days before the implementation of the new social distancing measures, a temporary closure notice was posted on a store in Myeongdong, Seoul. Starting from the 1st of next month, private gatherings of up to 6 people will be allowed in the metropolitan area and Jeju, while up to 8 people will be allowed in non-metropolitan areas. Additionally, entertainment facilities in the metropolitan area will resume operations, and operating hours for multi-use facilities such as cafes and restaurants will be extended from 10 PM to midnight. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporters Lee Gwan-ju, Yoo Byung-don, Moon Hye-won] The new four-tier social distancing system, effective from the 12th, is devastating news for self-employed business owners. Despite battling through quarantine measures such as bans on gatherings of five or more people, they had hoped for a partial sales recovery in June and a cautious return to normal life in July, but those hopes were dashed in an instant.

Complaints directed at the government and health authorities are growing louder. Ha Mo (43), who runs a pub in Mapo-gu, Seoul, said, "For several months, it feels like only the self-employed are being squeezed by measures like reducing the number of customers and limiting business hours," adding, "People are drinking outdoors anyway, so it seems like only the self-employed are being forced to make sacrifices."

◆ Hopes dashed... back into a nightmare = Bae Mo (39), who operates two bars in Gwanak-gu, also said, "It seems like every time, only the self-employed face tough quarantine measures," and criticized, "When business ends at 10 p.m. and I step outside the store, I see groups of three to five people drinking together, but the ones who suffer the damage are us, the self-employed." Park Mo (33), who runs a seafood stew restaurant in Seocho-gu, sighed, "Sales had gradually started to recover from June, so I was hopeful, but it feels like everything collapsed in an instant," adding, "I was about to call back employees who had been resting, but now that’s off the table."

Bu Mo (47), who runs a soup restaurant in Michuhol-gu, Incheon, said, "Sales have been cut by more than half due to a nearby cluster infection, and with the upgrade to level 4, I’m scared to see how much more it will drop," adding, "The ban on private gatherings of five or more was already a big blow, and now we won’t be able to receive family customers on weekends, only takeout customers at best." Bu continued, "Until now, we managed to get by without adjusting employees’ hours, but it’s going to be difficult from now on," adding, "We have no choice but to minimize labor costs and other expenses." Kim Mo (42), a PC cafe owner, said, "Thanks to a good commercial district, I was barely breaking even, but as soon as I heard about the upgrade to level 4, nighttime sales plummeted from 300,000 won to 50,000 won in just one day," lamenting, "I don’t know whether to continue operating."

Operators of indoor sports facilities such as golf practice ranges, gyms, billiard halls, swimming pools, and screen golf are worried that the nightmare will repeat. A screen golf business owner in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, said, "We used to run 10 rooms 24 hours a day, but after COVID-19, sales dropped to 25%. Disaster relief funds and compensation are nowhere near enough to cover the 10 million won monthly rent and maintenance costs. Still, we managed to hold on," adding, "There was hope for a gradual recovery in sales starting in June due to expectations of eased distancing measures." An operator running an indoor golf practice range and fitness club in Jung-gu said, "During the vacation season and golf peak season, we used to get about 20 membership inquiries a day, but inquiries suddenly stopped from the day before," adding, "We had cut the number of full-time employees by half but recently rehired one or two, yet worries come first."

On the 29th, two days before the implementation of the new social distancing measures, the entrance of a restaurant in Myeongdong, Seoul, is plastered with notices about the termination of electricity contracts due to overdue payments. Starting from the 1st of next month, private gatherings of up to 6 people will be allowed in the metropolitan area and Jeju, while up to 8 people will be allowed in non-metropolitan areas. Additionally, entertainment facilities in the metropolitan area will resume operations, and operating hours for multi-use facilities such as cafes and restaurants will be extended from 10 PM to midnight. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

◆ Back to non-face-to-face... restaurants and franchises also anxious = A representative from Korean food franchise A said, "In July, with the easing of distancing measures, various gatherings and reservations were fully booked, but since the day before, dinner reservations have been canceled by more than 20% as the situation suddenly worsened," adding, "Most reservations that were full until the end of this month will inevitably be canceled if the ban on gatherings of two or more people after 6 p.m. is enforced, so it feels hopeless."

The food service industry has been strengthening delivery and home meal replacement (HMR) businesses due to the rapid increase in single-person households and the COVID-19 situation over the past two to three years. Since most major menu items from well-known food companies are provided as HMR through dawn delivery services, some predict there will be no immediate significant impact on sales. An industry insider said, "Although in-store dining is practically difficult, we have been strengthening delivery and HMR sectors, so we expect to offset some of the sales losses."

Chicken franchises are pinning their hopes on the upcoming Chobok (the first of the three hottest days in summer). Since it will be difficult to enjoy dinner at restaurants on Boknal (the hottest days), delivery demand is expected to surge. A chicken franchise representative said, "In times like these, delivery demand tends to increase for chicken restaurants," adding, "Franchise owners now just want proper quarantine measures so this crisis can end as soon as possible. Fortunately, with the summer Boknal season, there is hope for sales growth."

◆ Citizens divided: "Appropriate measures" vs. "Too little, too late" = Public reactions are mixed. Some view the measures as appropriate responses to relaxed quarantine attitudes, while others criticize them as belated government actions amid a renewed large-scale outbreak.

Office worker Seo Ye-eun (34) said, "With vaccinations starting, it’s true that awareness of quarantine measures decreased," adding, "I was worried seeing groups drinking late at night in pubs or Hangang Park, so I think it’s right to impose restrictions even forcibly." Ban Je-min (29) agreed, saying, "Last year, even when daily confirmed cases were in the 200-300 range, people refrained from going out, but this year, even with around 500 cases, people seemed indifferent," adding, "I think this measure is necessary to tighten quarantine again."

There are also criticisms that the government’s policy failed by strengthening quarantine measures only after the fourth wave began. Yoo Young-hoon (41) said, "After experiencing three waves, I don’t understand why the government always tries to manage only after things happen," adding, "They should have blocked overseas entrants from the moment the Delta variant entered the country. Forcing sacrifices only on the public is not a proper quarantine policy."

There are also voices criticizing the government for blaming the 20s and 30s age group as the cause of the fourth wave. University student Choi Geon-ho (25) said, "With vaccination rates not even reaching 50%, they misled the public with sweet talk like ‘mask-free allowance’ and ‘exemption from counting private gathering numbers,’ then blamed the younger generation when cases surged," adding, "It’s inappropriate to single out specific groups as the main culprits for COVID-19 spread during every wave."

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