[Exclusive] Ahn Cheol-soo to Meet COVID-19 Affected Self-Employed Group That Demanded His Resignation on the 9th

Koja Chong Criticizes Possible Backtracking on 'Loss Compensation Pledge'
"Must Step Down as Chair of COVID-19 Special Committee"

Ahn Cheol-soo, Chairman of the Presidential Transition Committee, is arriving at the office of the 20th Presidential Transition Committee, set up at the Financial Supervisory Service Training Institute in Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 8th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] Ahn Cheol-soo, chairman of the Presidential Transition Committee, will meet with representatives of the Korea Federation of COVID-19 Affected Self-Employed (Koja-chong), who issued a critical statement claiming that Yoon Seok-yeol's campaign promise to compensate self-employed losses due to COVID-19 is being rolled back.

According to the Transition Committee on the 8th, Chairman Ahn will meet with Koja-chong representatives at an undisclosed location in Seoul tomorrow (the 9th). It is expected that Chairman Ahn will listen to the on-site voices of self-employed people regarding loss compensation on that day.

Koja-chong is an organization composed of 14 small business groups, including the Korea Foodservice Industry Association, Korea Entertainment Foodservice Association, and the Korea Karaoke Practice Room Association. During the last presidential election, they publicly declared support for Yoon Seok-yeol, then the People Power Party candidate. However, recently, remarks suggesting cuts to the supplementary budget and reductions in loss compensation have been repeatedly made among the COVID-19 Emergency Response Special Committee and Transition Committee officials, prompting Koja-chong to voice criticism.

In a statement released that day, Koja-chong said, "Chairman Ahn Cheol-soo of the Presidential Transition Committee suddenly gave an economics lecture, saying 'Inflation is getting very severe, and when money is released at such times, interest rates rise,'" adding, "The 50 trillion won promised by Yoon Seok-yeol for self-employed loss compensation has vanished, and 35 trillion won is becoming the norm." They further stated, "If there is no intention to provide full loss compensation and self-employed people continue to be treated as test subjects, Chairman Ahn should immediately step down from his position as chairman of the COVID-19 Emergency Response Special Committee."

Koja-chong also added, "What use is the COVID-19 Emergency Response Special Committee if it rejects President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol's campaign promises?" and "If they mock us with public opinion testing remarks, one million self-employed people will be greatly disappointed and may have no choice but to engage in struggle."

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