Sojinkong Participates in 'Running People's Petition'... "Leading Support for Traditional Markets"

[Asia Economy Reporter Junhyung Lee] The Small Enterprise and Market Service (SEMAS) announced on the 12th that it has been consistently participating in the "Running National Ombudsman" hosted by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission to listen to voices from the field. The Running National Ombudsman is a service that visits traditional markets, small business owners, and vulnerable areas nationwide with a large counseling bus to provide consultation on grievances.

Since starting with Gapyeong Jatgoeul Market in March this year, SEMAS has participated in the Running National Ombudsman more than 14 times to date. Last month, in celebration of the Chuseok holiday, it provided grievance consultation services using on-site booths and the Running National Ombudsman counseling bus at locations such as Suncheon City Ujang and Goheung-gun Nokdong Market.

SEMAS executives toured the markets and held meetings with merchant associations to help traditional markets overcome the COVID-19 crisis. A merchant who participated in the Suncheon City Ujang consultation on the 14th of last month said, "Because of being busy with daily work, it was difficult to raise complaints even if there were inconveniences," adding, "Having someone come directly to the site to listen makes me feel much lighter."

According to SEMAS, the main difficulties expressed by small business owners during the on-site consultations were the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. Small business owners requested support for responding to the distribution industry, which is shifting toward non-face-to-face methods. In response, SEMAS discussed customized projects for traditional markets suited to the COVID-19 situation and low-interest loans for small business owners.

Jo Bonghwan, Director of SEMAS, said, "Since last year, we have been consistently participating in the Running National Ombudsman to discover and resolve civil complaints," adding, "We will continue to minimize small business owners in neglected blind spots and strengthen communication between the service and local merchants."

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