[With Corona, Is Daily Life Recovery Possible?] Self-Employed "Seems Like We Can Breathe a Sigh of Relief" Expectations

"Some Sales Recovery Achieved
Expecting Return to Pre-COVID Levels"

"Focusing on Business Without Stress"

Survey: 76% Expect Sales Recovery

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] As the government prepares to introduce a phased return to daily life, so-called ‘With Corona,’ in relation to COVID-19 prevention measures, expectations among self-employed business owners are growing. Self-employed individuals, who had been pushed to the brink due to restrictions on the number of people and business hours, are dreaming of a return to the pre-COVID era.

Lee Jae-won (33, pseudonym), who runs a seafood stew restaurant in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, said, "Hearing the news about the introduction of With Corona, I am thinking that sales might recover to some extent," and expressed hope, "I think this will be an opportunity to return to the daily life before COVID."

Moon (42), who operates a hair salon in Namdong-gu, Incheon, also said, "As the COVID-19 situation prolonged, the absolute number of customers decreased, and even when operating, we could only accept customers in a limited way, which caused many difficulties," adding, "It was so tough that we had to have employees come to work in shifts, but since the quarantine rules are expected to be eased soon, I think we can breathe a sigh of relief."

Seo Young-jae (39, pseudonym), who runs a set meal restaurant in Sindorim-dong, Guro-gu, Seoul, also said, "There were cases of minor disputes with customers over quarantine rules, and after such incidents, the atmosphere in the restaurant would become cold, and we had to be cautious of other customers, which was quite stressful," expressing delight, "Once With Corona is introduced, I think we will be able to focus solely on business without such issues."

According to a survey conducted by the part-time job platform Albamon targeting 323 self-employed business owners regarding their ‘expectations for the transition to With Corona,’ 86.7% of all respondents answered that they ‘look forward to the transition to With Corona.’ The top reason (multiple responses allowed) was ‘because sales are expected to recover (76.4%),’ which received the highest response rate. This was followed by ‘because we can escape quarantine measures (such as gathering bans and business hour restrictions) (35.7%),’ ‘because mental stress such as infection anxiety will be reduced (24.3%),’ and ‘because it will be easier to hire part-time workers (21.1%).’

Reflecting the hopes of self-employed business owners, the Democratic Party of Korea has decided to officially propose to the government the introduction of a vaccine pass that relaxes private gathering restrictions only for those vaccinated against COVID-19. In particular, it is reported that they are considering increasing the limit on private gatherings in the metropolitan area, currently restricted to six people including those fully vaccinated, to a maximum of eight people, and extending restaurant and cafe business hours until midnight.