Na Kyung-won Criticizes Democratic Party for Blocking Rocket Delivery and Weekend Complex Malls... Calls It a Retrograde Idea

Former People Power Party lawmaker Na Kyung-won declaring her candidacy for the Seoul mayoral by-election near the Itaewon-dong food alley in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the 13th. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Nahana] As the amendment to the Distribution Industry Development Act, promoted by the Democratic Party of Korea and the government under the pretext of protecting small business owners, is about to pass the extraordinary session of the National Assembly, former People Power Party lawmaker Na Kyung-won has opposed, saying, "Are you so eager to make people's lives inconvenient?"

Na, who is running for the Seoul mayoral by-election, wrote on her Facebook on the 17th, "Blocking rocket delivery and dawn delivery and preventing visits to complex shopping malls on weekends?how regressive an idea is this?"

Earlier, the government and ruling party set a plan to pass the amendment to the Distribution Industry Development Act in the February extraordinary session of the National Assembly, which designates restrictions on late-night operations and mandatory closures twice a month for complex shopping malls and limits delivery times for online shopping malls.

Na criticized the government's proposed bill, saying, "While people's lives are rapidly changing, the Democratic Party of Korea's way of thinking remains stuck in the past."

In particular, Na criticized the amendment related to complex shopping malls, saying it is not appropriate for the purpose of protecting small business owners.

She pointed out, "60 to 70% of the stores in complex shopping malls are self-employed or small and medium-sized enterprises. Forcing them to close twice a month or on weekends effectively cuts their income."

She also raised criticism against the partial amendment to the "Act on the Promotion of Mutual Cooperation between Large and Small Enterprises," which includes regulations on online distribution platforms for order and delivery services.

She said, "If dawn delivery and rocket delivery are cut off, delivery workers lose their jobs. The sales channels of companies barely surviving the COVID-19 crisis through online sales are blocked. It's a domino effect."

She emphasized, "For those who have to juggle work, childcare, and housework, delivery services that allow quick and easy receipt of essential daily necessities and groceries are now essential."

She added, "People have the right to use dawn delivery, rocket delivery, and visit complex shopping malls. Let's stop these outdated regulations now."