Small Business Owners "Average 1,000 Closures Per Day... Business Restrictions Must Be Lifted"

Small Business Association and Self-Employed Emergency Committee Press Conference... Five Demands Including Loss Compensation
"66 Trillion Debt Over Past 1.5 Years... Driven to Extreme Choices"
Urging Transition to 'With Corona'... "Current Quarantine Policy Practically Ineffective"

O Sehee (third from the left), president of the Korea Federation of Micro Enterprise, and other small business owners are holding a press conference on the 14th at the Forest Vision Center in Yeouido, Seoul, urging the abolition of business restrictions and full compensation for losses. Photo by Kang Jinhyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Junhyung Lee] Small business owners have come forward to urge the removal of business restrictions and the transition to 'With Corona.'

The Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business held a press conference on the 14th at their office in Yeouido, Seoul, together with the National Emergency Committee of Self-Employed Workers, demanding the government abolish business restrictions and provide full compensation for losses. The press conference was attended by three co-representatives of the Self-Employed Emergency Committee, including O Sehee, president of the Federation, Kim Gihong, chairman of the Korea Internet Content Service Cooperative, and Lee Changho, president of the National Hof Association.

The Federation and the Emergency Committee made five demands that day: ▲Stop oppression of the Emergency Committee ▲Abolish business restrictions ▲Demand full compensation for small business owners' losses ▲Extend loan maturities and expand policy fund loans ▲Guarantee the Federation's participation in the Living Quarantine Committee and the Loss Compensation Committee.

President O pointed out, "Over the past year and a half, self-employed workers have taken on more than 66 trillion won in debt, and an average of about 1,000 stores have closed daily," adding, "Small business owners, unable to endure any longer, are being driven to extreme choices." He continued, "On the 8th, about 20 police units blocked small business owners and self-employed workers who took part in a vehicle protest, and eventually, Kim Gihong, co-representative of the Emergency Committee, was sent to the prosecution," expressing "strong regret at the government's behavior, which not only ignores the desperate cries of small business owners and self-employed workers but also suppresses even legitimate vehicle marches."

Chairs from Closed Restaurants Piled Up
(Ansan=Yonhap News) Reporter Jinwook Lee = A staff member at Gapbu Kitchen, a secondhand kitchenware store in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, is organizing chairs from closed restaurants. Meanwhile, according to the July labor market trends announced by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the number of employment insurance subscribers in the food service industry sharply decreased last month due to the impact of the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. 2021.8.10
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Both organizations emphasized the necessity of a With Corona policy. Representative Kim said, "The current quarantine policy, which unilaterally demands sacrifice from small business owners and the self-employed, has been proven to be practically ineffective," adding, "The government must now shift its quarantine policy to With Corona and guarantee the business freedom of small business owners." He further stated, "The current social distancing quarantine guidelines centered on operating hour restrictions and capacity limits must be immediately withdrawn," emphasizing, "Along with gradual easing of quarantine measures, the government must promptly abolish business restrictions across all small business sectors."

They also called for compensation for damages incurred by small business owners since July of this year. He said, "Compensation must inevitably follow business restrictions," and added, "Regardless of the allocated budget, small business owners' damages must be compensated 100%." Furthermore, he stated, "Alongside this, taxes for small business owners should be reduced," suggesting, "Value-added tax should be temporarily lowered from the current 10% to 5%, and indirect tax-related costs such as electricity and water bills should also be reduced."

Measures to guarantee the Federation's participation in the Living Quarantine Committee were also mentioned. Yoo Gijun, senior vice president of the Federation, argued, "The quarantine authorities should include the Federation, a legally recognized economic organization, in the Living Quarantine Committee, which decides social distancing levels that determine the fate of small business owners, to listen to their opinions." Vice President Yoo added, "The Federation plans to consolidate the opinions of affected small business groups and convey detailed views on quarantine guidelines such as business and capacity restrictions," and stated, "The Federation's participation must also be guaranteed in the Loss Compensation Deliberation Committee, which sets the targets and criteria for compensation."

President O said, "We strongly urge the government to promptly announce its position on our five major demands," warning, "If the government ignores the voices of small business owners this time as well, we will take strong countermeasures."

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