[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Gom Inhyeong] Iksan City has launched efforts to restore the livelihood economy through the largest-scale financial investment in preparation for the post-COVID-19 era.
In particular, the city plans to accelerate the establishment of a stable living foundation for citizens who have been struggling due to the prolonged COVID-19 crisis by swiftly implementing customized economic policies tailored to each sector.
According to Iksan City on the 3rd, a large-scale economic policy involving approximately 160 billion KRW invested in 67 projects is being prepared and implemented to overcome the COVID-19 crisis. Among these, 37 projects are being carried out independently with an investment of 31.1 billion KRW.
The city is prioritizing policies that can be felt by various sectors experiencing difficulties through selection and concentration, divided into six areas including citizens, small business owners, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and job support.
Looking at each sector, 70 new companies were selected this year for the loan support project aimed at facilitating smooth cash flow for small business owners and SMEs, with 12.4 billion KRW provided. The interest subsidy support also recorded 234 companies receiving 240 million KRW.
Additionally, about 28 million KRW was invested in export and guarantee insurance premiums for 17 local companies, laying the groundwork for companies struggling with the economic downturn to actively build export infrastructure.
To ease the rental burden on companies, the city reduced usage fees and lease fees for land and buildings owned by the city. The beneficiaries include about 190 places, including the Jewel Palace tenants and the Jewelry Museum, with the total reduction amounting to approximately 170 million KRW.
The public utility fee support project for small business owners affected by COVID-19 has benefited 9,256 companies so far, showing an execution rate of 95.2%. Regarding card fees, the budget execution for 6,600 applications has been completed.
The social insurance premium support project, which supports the employer’s share of the four major insurance premiums for workers, is accepting applications until this month and will begin sequential support from mid-next month.
The payment rate of Iksan City’s disaster basic income, which supports citizens’ livelihood stability, is at 96%, and the government’s emergency disaster relief fund is at 95%, with efforts underway to complete execution. Administrative procedures are also being expedited for decisions made in each support area.
Emergency support funds to be paid to about 4,600 freight and taxi transport workers saw over 1,000 freight workers apply by last week, and the application process for taxi workers will begin on the 12th.
Going forward, Iksan City plans to increase the speed of executing various support measures and actively discover economic crisis response policies to revitalize the local economy, which has been depressed by COVID-19.
Mayor Jeong Heon-yul stated, “We are rapidly implementing support measures for citizens and various sectors through bold financial investment,” adding, “In preparation for the post-COVID-19 era, we will introduce policies that citizens can feel and revive the local economy by stimulating frozen consumer sentiment.”
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