"Bring Gasoline" Gwangju Merchants 'Wail' in Front of City Hall

Gwangju Self-Employed Emergency Measures Committee Demands Meeting with Mayor Lee Yong-seop, Saying "Quarantine Measures Are Ineffective"

Attempted Forceful Entry into Government Building... Police and Senior City Officials Intervene to Calm Situat

Members of the Gwangju Self-Employed Emergency Countermeasures Committee are attempting to enter the building on the afternoon of the 26th in front of Gwangju City Hall, demanding a meeting with Mayor Lee Yong-seop of Gwangju.

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] "I'm on the brink of death. Bring gasoline and two bottles of soju."

On the afternoon of the 26th, a commotion broke out in front of the entrance of Gwangju Metropolitan City Hall. Local self-employed business owners gathered and shouted, "Mayor Lee Yong-seop, come down."

They are members of the 'Gwangju Self-Employed Emergency Countermeasures Committee,' composed of self-employed business owners from the Sangmu and Yongbong districts. As the social distancing level 3 has been extended until the 5th of next month due to COVID-19, they gathered in front of Gwangju City Hall, raising their voices to meet Mayor Lee Yong-seop of Gwangju.

Holding placards with messages such as "We will die from closure rather than COVID," and "Retroactive application of compensation," they pleaded, "Please save us."

A self-employed karaoke business owner shouted, "All loans are blocked, and I can't live any longer in the Republic of Korea."

Their demand was to have a meeting with Mayor Lee Yong-seop. They claimed that despite holding several rallies and expressing their desire to 'talk directly,' it was always canceled. When the same situation unfolded that day, their long-held anger finally exploded.

As emotions ran high, several well-built men took the lead and began pushing the security guards blocking the entrance, creating gaps.

"Grab one police officer each and push them back." The power struggle between the self-employed and the police intensified, and harsh curses were frequently heard nearby, creating a tense atmosphere.

With 49 protesters against 17 police officers, the police, at a disadvantage, began to be pushed back slowly. Around 3:40 p.m., one protester used others' shoulders as a stepping stone and charged inside. Soon after, the closed entrance door was opened from the inside, and the self-employed rushed in.

Inside the double-door structure, another standoff took place. At a shout of "Break through," some protesters pushed with all their might.

Senior officials from Gwangju City, including the police intelligence chief, rushed to the scene to calm the situation, which somewhat eased the tension.

The chairman of the Gwangju Self-Employed Emergency Committee shouted, "The police are also our citizens, so they should not use violence," and although some insisted, "We must storm into the mayor's office," no further aggressive actions were taken.

They stepped back and held a collective sit-in near the entrance. They all wore black clothing to express their feeling of being "on the brink of death." One official said, "We almost came dressed in mourning clothes."

At the scene, Jang Min-woo (29) said, "Daily sales range from 0 to 80,000 won, but I pay about 7 million won in rent every month," and lamented, "The department store luxury brand hall is bustling with people drawing number 250, but how am I supposed to survive if my soju business is restricted?"

He continued, "Before COVID-19, monthly sales exceeded 100 million won, making it a hit store, but now it's deserted. Last month's sales were about 2 million won, which is a loss after deducting rent and operating expenses," and added, "People say there is a bottom, but I still can't see it."

Kim Ki-young, who runs a pub, also had much to say and requested a conversation.

Kim said, "Customers start coming to bars after 7 p.m. Ignoring such industry-specific characteristics and forcing everyone to close by 10 p.m. is like telling us to jump into the Han River."

He added, "The rent in the Sangmu district commercial area is comparable to Hongdae in Seoul. For 100 pyeong, the monthly rent is over 15 million won," and with a grim expression said, "Most of the people at this rally are bar owners, but the government seems completely unaware of the pain of the self-employed."

The Gwangju Self-Employed Emergency Committee issued a statement that day, saying, "Ineffective quarantine policies are strangling the self-employed," and demanded the withdrawal of business restrictions and the realization of compensation.

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