Lee Jae-myung Urges "Extending Business Hours to 24:00 for Those Who Received the 3rd Vaccine Dose"

Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, is announcing the 'Southern Capital Area' plan after paying respects at the tomb of the late former President Roh Moo-hyun in Bongha Village, Gimhae, Gyeongnam on the 6th.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, proposed extending business hours until midnight only for those who have received the third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

On the 6th, Lee stated on Facebook, "By providing incentives to the public, we can encourage vaccination and also somewhat relieve the burden on self-employed business owners."

Lee said, "As Omicron becomes the dominant variant, confirmed cases are increasing significantly, but fortunately, the number of severe cases and deaths is gradually decreasing," adding, "The ICU bed occupancy rate is also at a comfortable 16.9%."

He continued, "The second dose vaccination rate in our country is 85.9%, and the third dose rate is 54.9%," emphasizing, "We need to encourage vaccination among the public while also alleviating the suffering of self-employed business owners."

He also pointed out, "The damage to self-employed business owners and small merchants due to COVID-19 is severe," and criticized, "Although we have urged the government to prepare active measures including expanding supplementary budgets, it is still insufficient to compensate for the damages."

He then urged once again, "I call for securing at least 50 trillion won in funding to provide compensation for damages," adding, "If politics cannot solve the livelihood issues, it has no reason to exist."

Finally, Lee pledged, acknowledging the ongoing crisis caused by the COVID-19 situation, "What the government must do is to focus all efforts on overcoming the crisis, and I will actively step forward with the mindset of a commander-in-chief for crisis resolution."

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