Choi Tae-won, Chairman of SK Group, "We will close the cafeteria and help self-employed business owners"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park So-yeon] SK Group will temporarily suspend the operation of its in-house cafeterias to help revitalize the domestic economy, which has been stagnated due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to industry sources on the 13th, SK Group decided to suspend the operation of in-house cafeterias once a week for a certain period starting next week to support domestic small and medium-sized merchants struggling due to the COVID-19 situation and to boost domestic consumption. Instead, SK employees will use nearby restaurants.

This was first proposed by Chairman Chey Tae-won during a morning meeting at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry with President Moon Jae-in and key economic figures to discuss responses to the COVID-19 crisis.

An SK Group official stated, "We plan to establish specific implementation plans by comprehensively considering the surrounding conditions of each business site."

To this end, SK plans to conduct an internal campaign targeting its employees and explore additional measures to revitalize local commercial districts.

Regarding this, Park Yong-man, Chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, mentioned on Facebook, "The President also said it was a good idea, and I felt it was a good idea as well."

Meanwhile, President Moon Jae-in visited Namdaemun Market in Seoul the previous day to minimize the economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis and then visited the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry on the same day to hold a meeting with representatives of six major conglomerates and five economic organizations.

The meeting was attended by major conglomerate heads and representatives including Lee Jae-yong, Vice Chairman of Samsung Electronics; Yoon Yeo-chul, Vice Chairman of Hyundai Motor Company; Chey Tae-won, Chairman of SK; Koo Kwang-mo, Chairman of LG; Hwang Kak-kyu, Vice Chairman of Lotte Holdings; and Lee Jae-hyun, Chairman of CJ.

President Moon referred to various indicators such as companies' efforts, increased facility investments, and export growth, saying, "We had high hopes as the economy seemed to be recovering, but we have encountered an unexpected situation," and added, "It is very regrettable that the COVID-19 crisis has hindered the economy."