Kang Won-rae Meets Ahn Cheol-soo: "K-pop is Number One, but We Seem to Be Last in Global Quarantine" Frustration Expressed

Singer Kang Won-rae, formerly of the group Clon, is expressing the difficulties faced by self-employed businesses due to quarantine measures to Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People Party, who ran in the Seoul mayoral by-election on the 20th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Joo-hee] Kang Won-rae, a singer formerly of the group Clon, met with Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People’s Party, on the 20th and criticized, "K-pop is the best in the world, topping the Billboard charts, but Korea’s quarantine measures seem to be the worst globally."

On that day, Kang attended a merchants’ meeting organized by Ahn and expressed his difficulties, saying, "Because of just one thing called the entertainment industry, they apply a moral standard like 'drinking water while playing is okay, but drinking alcohol while playing is not allowed.'" He added, "Most of these establishments open around 8 or 9 p.m., but if they are told to close by 9 p.m., that’s effectively a business suspension." Kang currently operates a pub in Itaewon, Seoul.

Kang said, "Just looking at the empty shops here breaks my heart," and added, "'You have to manage on your own' is not something that should be said." He continued, "One of my colleagues in Itaewon said that when their child entered elementary school, they couldn’t tell others that 'my father works in Itaewon.' Because it’s embarrassing, they feel like a patient, like a criminal."

In response, Ahn said, "The social distancing standards are arbitrary," and empathized, "About half of the businesses in Itaewon have closed and left, and the remaining half don’t know how much longer they can hold on. Starting with Seoul City, we will create scientific social distancing standards. Disaster relief funds should be given to those who have actually suffered disasters."

The next day (the 21st), Kang posted on his Instagram again, saying, "Due to the witch hunt and stigma called ‘Itaewon origin,’ small business owners and self-employed people in Itaewon have suffered damage and the area has become a ghost town, but we have been even more cautious and complied unconditionally with gathering bans, business restrictions, and time limits as instructed," once again appealing about the difficulties of running his pub.

He said, "‘The next two weeks are critical,’ ‘Please endure a little longer.’ It has already been a year since we carefully protected our businesses with such caution," and added, "What more should we small business owners and self-employed people do? We expect compensation measures along with new quarantine policies that fit our circumstances."

Meanwhile, after Kang’s remarks became known, some netizens from pro-Moon Jae-in (친문) online communities left critical comments toward Kang, such as "He didn’t seem to have good character on TV, and his actions prove it," and "He probably doesn’t think he’s alive thanks to K-quarantine," among others.