<기사제목>Ministry of SMEs and Startups and Public Officials Union Join Hands to Support Small Business Owners During Chuseok

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jong-hwa] The Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the National Government Employees' Union (Gukgongno) have joined hands to support small business owners.

To ensure that the disaster relief funds distributed before Chuseok are primarily used in traditional markets and by small business owners, the union will prioritize purchasing Onnuri gift certificates used in traditional markets and actively utilize the small business online sales support platform 'Gachi Sapsida.'

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups, Gukgongno, and the Ministry’s union announced on the 31st that they signed a memorandum of understanding to mutually cooperate in revitalizing small business owners.

The Ministry’s union plans to lead a payback event to encourage the purchase of Onnuri gift certificates and use of traditional markets so that the emergency disaster relief funds distributed before Chuseok can be quickly and intensively used by small business owners, continuing from last year. They will also promote small business support policies to all union members through social networking services (SNS).

Gukgongno will actively encourage its members to use the Ministry’s small business online sales support platform 'Gachi Sapsida (v.dongbanmall.com).' The Ministry’s union has proactively purchased about 21 million KRW worth of Chuseok holiday gifts for its members through the Gachi Sapsida platform.

They also plan to jointly promote campaigns to spread the atmosphere of supporting small business owners throughout the public service community.

The Ministry and the unions will run the 'Wise Consumption Life with Small Business Owners' campaign until Chuseok and encourage the use of the 'Five-Policy Set for Revitalizing Small Business Owners'?including Baeknyeon Gage (Hundred-Year Store), Baeknyeon Sogongin (Hundred-Year Small Business Owner), the Gachi Sapsida platform, Brand K, and Onnuri gift certificates?at the inter-ministerial level.

Since 2018, Gukgongno and the Ministry have jointly carried out meaningful activities to support small business owners and traditional markets. In 2018, they cooperated to raise the mandatory purchase ratio of Onnuri gift certificates by public officials to support small business owners. Last year, together with union chairpersons from 28 ministries’ Gukgongno branches, they launched the 'Wise Consumption Life Movement that Makes Small Business Owners Smile,' encouraging participation from the public service community.

Gukgongno Chairman Ahn Jeong-seop said, "I hope this agreement will serve as a foundation to systematize cooperation between the government and the public officials’ labor union to resolve the economic crisis faced by small business owners due to COVID-19."

Minister Kwon Chil-seung of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups expressed, "I deeply thank Chairman Ahn Jeong-seop of Gukgongno for participating in this agreement and the Ministry’s labor union for voluntarily establishing a foundation for cooperation between labor and government. Encouraged by the public officials’ union taking the lead in helping small business owners struggling due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry will do its utmost to provide policy support so that small business owners can regain vitality."

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