Won Hee-ryong "Government Support Passive as Self-Employed Struggle to Survive... Angry at Indifference"

Former Jeju Governor and People Power Party presidential candidate Won Hee-ryong is meeting with young self-employed business owners at a restaurant in Sanggye-dong, Nowon-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 16th, listening to their difficulties caused by COVID-19.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim So-young] Won Hee-ryong, former governor of Jeju and a presidential candidate from the People Power Party, expressed frustration, saying, "The government should allow businesses to maintain their foundation by reducing rent or forgiving loans so that when the economy recovers, they can earn money again. However, the government's support is too passive, which makes me very frustrated."

On the 16th, during a meeting with Lee Jong-min (36), a young self-employed restaurant owner in the Nowon-gu area of Seoul, former Governor Won criticized, "When people are making money, the government collects taxes diligently, but now, whether they earn money or not, fixed costs remain. The government is preventing businesses from operating, so with no income, they are ultimately drying up."

He pointed out, "Even when trying to close down, there are costs involved in business closure funds," adding, "The government’s indifferent attitude toward the situation where daily deficits are accumulating and people can neither do this nor that makes me angry."

In response, Mr. Lee shared his difficulties, saying, "There should be measures such as rent deferral and tax benefits," and added, "Without such measures, the responsibility is unilaterally shifted to the self-employed, which also made me feel frustrated."

He continued, "If the government said, 'We will cover one month’s rent if you suspend operations until the number of confirmed cases decreases,' I would be willing to do so," and said, "The government does not provide options, and we have no choice but to follow government guidelines. This prolonged situation has caused fatigue."

Former Governor Won stated, "We need to save those who are drowning in deficits so they can resume economic activities and pay taxes," and criticized, "The government’s measures are disconnected from reality and urgent matters should be addressed first."

The meeting reportedly came about because Mr. Lee wanted to meet former Governor Won after seeing him hold a one-person protest in Myeong-dong, Seoul, on the 8th, demanding expanded compensation for small business owners and the self-employed affected by COVID-19.

Afterwards, former Governor Won posted on his Facebook, promising, "The government must actively compensate small business owners and the self-employed for the damage and suffering caused by quarantine rules," and "I will stand with them until they overcome this critical survival hurdle."

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