"Half Excited, Half Worried" ... Busy Restaurant Owners on the First Day of 'With Corona'

Eased Business Restrictions Brighten Self-Employed
Citizens Worry About Rising COVID-19 Cases
Confusion Over Refunds for Unvaccinated at Sports Facilities

"Starting today, we're open even during the early morning hours, so come anytime. We've initially hired four part-time staff members," said an employee.

On the morning of the 1st, at a Sundaeguk (Korean blood sausage soup) restaurant located in Yonggang-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, a kitchen staff member was busy preparing for business by washing a large basin and organizing utensils from early morning. Their expression was bright. With the transition to With-Corona, early morning operations became possible, making things busier. Although the previous day was a weekend and the number of visitors to nearby Hangang River and parks increased, the restaurant was bustling with many customers after a long time, but the staff said they did not feel tired. The employee said, "It has already been over a year since we only operated until 10 p.m. due to the severe COVID-19 situation," adding, "We have also rehired staff to work during the early morning hours."

Choi Young-seok (male, 45), who runs a beer pub near Seoul National University Station in Gwanak-gu, is also extending his business hours from the usual 9-10 p.m. to 2 a.m. starting today. Over the weekend, he checked the stock of alcohol and side dishes and went to the wholesale market early in the morning to buy additional ingredients. Choi said, "Since the private gathering limit was lifted to 8 people, the number of customers has noticeably increased since last week," adding, "Especially because of Halloween, even though Sundays are usually slow, yesterday there were twice as many customers compared to the previous week." Although there are no year-end group or company dinner reservations yet, he expects the number of student customers to continue increasing as universities gradually resume in-person classes.

The owner of a nearby Kongnamul Gukbap (bean sprout soup with rice) restaurant also said, "During the time when customers stopped coming due to COVID-19, prices rose a lot, but as long as business picks up again, it doesn't matter," adding, "Many people have been vaccinated, and the government has eased many restrictions with With-Corona, so I expect more customers."

Kim (38), who runs a Korean restaurant near Gangnam Station in Seoul, said, "Since the operating hour restrictions from 10 p.m. have been lifted starting today, it's natural to expect sales to increase," adding, "We have prepared about 20% more ingredients than usual, anticipating more customers."

Jang Kyung-hee (70), owner of a Cheonggukjang (fermented soybean paste stew) restaurant in Inhyeon-dong, Jung-gu, also expressed hope, saying, "Starting today, we can accept group reservations of up to 10 people, so I think sales will increase a bit." Park (42), who runs a hangover soup restaurant in Seo-gu, Incheon, said, "Since we can operate 24 hours now, we are thinking of hiring more staff," adding, "We hope the situation gradually improves."

On the morning of the 1st, the first day of the phased daily recovery (With Corona) implementation, citizens at Seoul Station are riding the escalator. [Image source=Yonhap News]

However, there are voices expressing more concern than expectation. Park (25), a university student, said, "It was usually hard to make plans after work, so lifting the operating hour restrictions for restaurants and such seems good," but added, "I'm worried that as people's vigilance toward quarantine measures loosens, confirmed cases might surge."

Yeo (61), an employee at a Jjimdak (braised chicken) restaurant in Jung-gu, said, "There is some hope for sales recovery, but I don't know how much it will recover," adding, "I'm also afraid that if confirmed cases increase due to With-Corona, customers might stop coming again."

In high-risk facilities such as gyms, there have been complaints about the easing of quarantine measures. These facilities require unvaccinated individuals to submit a negative test result obtained within 48 hours, which has only increased inconvenience. Lee (35), a gym owner near Gyodae Station in Seoul, said, "Removing operating hour restrictions will help in running the gym," but added, "We still have to check vaccinations or negative tests, and about 10 members have not been vaccinated and have requested refunds, which is difficult."

Kim (29), an employee at a gym in Euljiro, said, "Compared to other risky places, sports facilities have been more strictly controlled, and it's the same this time," adding, "I hope they improve the system so that unvaccinated people can also use the facilities freely."

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