"Again and Again, Overtime"…Self-Employed Struggling Endlessly Amid Prolonged Social Distancing

Social Distancing Level Extended for 2 Weeks Until the 5th of Next Month
Vaccination Incentives Offered but... Self-Employed Say "No Effect"
Secret Operations Continue... Increasing Underground Activity
Self-Employed Groups Announce "Nationwide Vehicle Protest Planned"

As the fourth wave of COVID-19 continues to prolong, the struggles of self-employed workers persist. On the 2nd, a rental notice was posted at a store in the alley commercial district near Ewha Womans University in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporters Byungdon Yoo and Seungyoon Song] Gu Junseok (35, pseudonym), who has been running a bar in Suyeong-gu, Busan for four years, recently decided to close his business. Despite gritting his teeth through the continuous decline in sales since the COVID-19 pandemic, he could no longer bear the ongoing maintenance costs such as monthly rent. Gu said, "I kept operating with the thought of holding on a little longer, but it's impossible to survive until Chuseok," adding, "I have used up all my savings and only accumulated debt, so even after closing, I think I will have to work part-time for a while."

As social distancing measures have been extended repeatedly, resistance and backlash from self-employed business owners are intensifying. The social distancing level has been extended for two weeks from the 23rd to the 5th of next month. In the metropolitan area, the Level 4 distancing has been maintained for seven consecutive weeks. Busan, Daejeon, and Jeju Island, like the metropolitan area, have also extended Level 4 measures. In Level 4 areas, private gatherings of two or more people are still prohibited after 6 p.m., and the operating hours of restaurants and cafes have been reduced by one hour, from 10 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The government introduced a limited 'vaccination incentive' allowing up to four people to gather in restaurants and cafes after 6 p.m. in Level 4 areas if two of them are fully vaccinated. However, on-site reactions are mostly negative, with comments such as "What use is the incentive when operating hours are reduced?" and "A half-hearted measure." Even those who have received all recommended vaccine doses are classified as fully vaccinated only after 14 days of immune formation, and since the vaccination rate among the main customers, the younger generation, is still low, meeting these conditions is practically rare.

Han Dongmin (40, pseudonym), who runs a barbecue restaurant in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, said, "On the day the distancing level was extended, there was not a single group of customers who had completed vaccination after 6 p.m.," and lamented, "The government introduced incentives as if doing a favor, but the reduced operating hours have actually caused more damage."

The prolonged COVID-19 pandemic has drained vitality from Myeongdong Street, known as one of Seoul's representative commercial districts. The heatwave further decreased the number of tourists. The vacancy rate in the second quarter reached approximately 43%. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

There is some hope that things might ease as vaccination rates increase. Park Jaewon (34, pseudonym), who runs a sashimi restaurant in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, said, "It's fortunate that there is room to fully occupy tables and turn them over," adding, "It's unfortunate to close an hour earlier in the evening, but I hope that as vaccination rates rise, company dinners might temporarily increase."

Some businesses continue to violate rules by operating 'secretly.' The police cracked down on illegal operations of entertainment facilities across Seoul over two days from the 19th to the 20th, catching 53 places and 359 people. Business owners argue that they have no way to survive otherwise. Entertainment facilities have been subject to the longest gathering bans since the COVID-19 outbreak. Some entertainment businesses are increasingly going underground, even operating mobile entertainment bars beyond secret operations.

Self-employed business groups have announced plans for large-scale vehicle protests. The National Emergency Countermeasures Committee for Self-Employed in Response to COVID-19 (NECC) recently issued a statement regarding government quarantine measures, saying, "If the government forces quarantine measures such as business restrictions by shifting the responsibility for the surge in confirmed cases onto self-employed business owners, NECC branch leaders will organize vehicle protests nationwide to condemn the government."

Self-employed business owners are expected to hold single-vehicle protests in Busan starting around midnight on the 25th. Last weekend, some self-employed business owners gathered in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, and held a walking protest.