"Summer Vacation Season but Feeling Helpless" Local Self-Employed Businesses Panic Amid Level 4 Alert Increase

Busan Haeundae and Gangwon-do Gangneung
Unexpectedly... Beach Closures
Nearby Restaurants and Bars Face Closure Threat

City Center Also Sees No Visitors
No Foot Traffic Even on Weekdays

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] "I was expecting a summer boost, but this news feels like a bolt from the blue."

Park Je-guk (42, pseudonym), who runs a sashimi restaurant near Haeundae Beach in Busan, has been sighing day and night lately. Just as the peak summer season began and sales seemed to be gradually recovering, the beach was closed due to the implementation of Level 4 social distancing. Park said, "I thought last year was the worst, but this year the situation is even more serious," adding, "I never imagined the beach would be closed, but it seems like this summer’s business is completely lost."

Busan’s beaches are effectively closed until the 22nd. Rental shops lending out parasols and other summer goods, as well as various convenience facilities like showers, have suspended operations, and swimming and leisure activities are only allowed until sunset.

On the first day of the beach closure, the atmosphere at Haeundae Beach, visited on the 10th, was bleak. Compared to the weekend before the closure when crowds of vacationers gathered, an eerie silence prevailed. Nearby merchants who had hoped for a summer sales boom were literally in a state of ‘panic.’

The same goes for Seomyeon, the downtown center of Busan. The streets of Seomyeon in Busanjin-gu, known for its concentration of bars, saw a sharp drop in foot traffic. Kim Tae-ryung (34, pseudonym), who runs a pub in Seomyeon, lamented, "Even on weekdays, I’ve never seen so few customers," adding, "Looking out onto the street, it’s hard to find people."

Gangneung City in Gangwon Province, where Level 4 distancing was implemented earlier than Busan, is experiencing severe aftershocks. Since Level 4 started at the beginning of the vacation season, the number of visitors to Gyeongpodae Beach this summer is expected to be only 20-30% of usual. As a result, restaurants, bars, and marts near the beach are facing the risk of closure.

Although the distancing level was recently adjusted down to Level 3, bringing some visitors back, the situation is clearly different from two years ago. According to Gangneung City, as of the 2nd, the cumulative number of visitors to Gyeongpodae Beach was 100,509, only about one-sixth of the 617,215 visitors in 2019 before the COVID-19 outbreak.

The impact of Level 4 distancing measures imposed in various non-metropolitan areas has penetrated not only tourist spots but also general urban centers. In Changwon City, Gyeongnam Province, where there were almost no confirmed cases, Level 4 has been in effect since the 6th due to cluster infections originating from large supermarkets, accounting for nearly half of all confirmed cases in Gyeongnam.

Nearly a week of Level 4 distancing has severely disrupted the daily lives of self-employed workers. Even local residents are refraining from outdoor activities due to the unprecedented Level 4 measures. The entertainment districts spanning Jinhae-gu’s Idong and Seokdong in Changwon are so deserted that it’s hard to see people even after work hours.

With many entertainment establishments shutting down and their signs turned off, the streets resemble a ghost town. Some restaurants have even posted notices of temporary closure during the Level 4 period. Kang Mi-yeon (57, female, pseudonym), who runs a hair salon here, said, "I’ve been in business here for over 20 years, but I’ve never seen so few people," adding, "It’s been this hard and painful for just a few days; I worry about how self-employed people in the metropolitan area are managing to endure."

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