PPP Visits Small Businesses: "Discussing 1 Million Won Support Per Small Business Owner With Government"

Support for Utility Bills Such as Electricity and Water Through Vouchers
Kwon Youngse: "Will Ensure Inclusion in the Supplementary Budget"

On February 24, Kwon Youngse, the interim leader of the People Power Party, announced that he would discuss with the government the provision of vouchers worth 1 million won per person to small business owners nationwide to support utility bills and other expenses.

This move is interpreted as an effort to focus support on struggling groups such as small business owners and self-employed individuals, in response to Lee Jaemyung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who is pushing for a supplementary budget and a 250,000-won livelihood support payment while also recently shifting his policies to the right. The aim is to win over public sentiment among centrist and small business owner groups.

At a roundtable meeting held at a small sewing business in Changsin-dong, Jongno-gu, Kwon Youngse referred to the operational difficulties faced by small businesses due to the ongoing economic downturn. He stated, "We are consulting with the government on a plan to support utility bills such as electricity, gas, and water in the form of vouchers worth about 1 million won per person for small business owners."

He emphasized, "Instead of indiscriminately distributing 250,000 won to everyone, including those who are well-off, we will listen carefully to voices on the ground and develop sound policies so that taxpayer money is not wasted and can directly help those in real need."

Kwon also highlighted that the party and government are planning to formulate and execute a supplementary budget, stressing, "We are working hard to ensure that the 1 million won voucher per small business owner is included in that supplementary budget."

Yonhap News

Kim Sanghoon, chairman of the party's policy committee, said, "There are about 7.6 million small business owners nationwide with annual sales of 104 million won or less," and added, "We are in discussions to provide 1 million won per person, including not only utility bills but also insurance premiums and promotional expenses."

He continued, "It seems that many businesses are hoping to replace outdated equipment," and added, "We plan to consult with the government on budget support for equipment purchases as well."

After the roundtable, Kim explained to reporters, "Although the focus is on energy, even if the entire 1 million won is not used for energy, we believe it would be best to make up the difference with promotional expenses or insurance premiums so that everyone receives the full amount."

Regarding the timing of the voucher distribution, he said, "The sooner, the better, but once the direction of the supplementary budget is set, we plan to ask the government to include this item."

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