Suncheon-si Announces Plan to Provide a Total of 30 Billion Won in Disaster Relief Funds to Self-Employed Businesses

Disaster Relief Funds Provided to Over 15,000 Self-Employed
3 Million KRW for Entertainment Venues, Singing Practice Rooms, Travel Industry; 2 Million KRW for Restaurants, Cafes, Academies, Lodging; 1 Million KRW for Cultural Artists and Freelance Ins

[Suncheon=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Hyung-kwon] Suncheon City (Mayor Heo Seok) announced a plan to provide disaster relief funds totaling 30 billion KRW to local self-employed business owners.

On the 25th, Mayor Heo Seok announced this through a non-face-to-face briefing, expressing his hope that it would serve as a catalyst for Suncheon’s self-employed business owners to have new hope.

This disaster relief fund for self-employed business owners will be distributed to approximately 15,000 businesses within Suncheon City, totaling 30 billion KRW. The five types of entertainment facilities and karaoke rooms, travel agencies, which were the most severely affected, will receive 3 million KRW each. Restaurants, cafes, academies, indoor and outdoor sports facilities, PC rooms, bathhouses, stores and marts, beauty salons, lodging facilities, and transportation businesses, which faced operational restrictions, will receive 2 million KRW each.

Additionally, cultural artists, freelance instructors, door-to-door salespeople, and traditional market street vendors will receive 1 million KRW each.

Mayor Heo Seok stated, “For over two years, Suncheon’s self-employed business owners and small business operators have endured hellish pain. We decided to provide disaster relief funds to alleviate some of their suffering and help them embrace new hope.” He added, “While the budget allocation is Suncheon City’s responsibility, the review and approval of the budget belong to the Suncheon City Council. I believe Chairman Heo Yu-in and the council members will share the intention to support the suffering self-employed and small business owners in Suncheon.”

So far, Suncheon City has provided disaster relief funds twice to all citizens using its own municipal funds. It has also provided up to 500,000 KRW in cash support to small business owners and self-employed persons with fewer than 10 employees, and 500,000 KRW to freight truck and charter bus workers. Various supports such as loan interest subsidies, water and sewage fee reductions, traditional market store rent reductions, management fee reductions, social insurance support, and supplies like masks and disinfectants have also been provided.

However, these measures have been far from sufficient to compensate for the business losses of small business owners. To help alleviate the economic difficulties faced by small business owners who are at their limit due to management challenges and to facilitate a swift return to normalcy, this disaster relief fund has been planned.

Mayor Heo also said, “Although COVID-19 cases are rapidly increasing due to Omicron, the fatality rate decreases as transmissibility increases, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it is currently at the level of the flu.” He added, “Given the reduced risk, we expected a relaxation of quarantine rules, but it is very disappointing that the extension of business hours was limited to just one hour.”

He particularly mentioned that he communicated with Democratic Party leader Song Young-gil and presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung to propose easing quarantine rules and received positive responses, but expressed great regret that the government’s quarantine rules have not been relaxed.

He continued, “Unlike the early days of COVID-19, close contacts are no longer required to self-isolate, and the movements of confirmed cases are not tracked, but QR codes are still being checked for the quarantine pass.” He emphasized selective and focused COVID-19 prevention measures, stating, “Suncheon City will omit formal quarantine rules and strengthen focused management mainly on high-risk groups such as nursing hospitals.”

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