"COVID-19 Loss Compensation Support Is Not a Choice but a Matter of Survival"
"We Will Definitely Respond to the Pleas of Self-Employed Workers"
Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, is moving to attend the party meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 22nd. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, urged the People Power Party on the 23rd to discuss providing 100 trillion won in support for self-employed individuals who suffered due to the COVID-19 crisis.
On the same day, Lee posted on his Facebook titled "We will respond to the desperate cries of small business owners and self-employed individuals," opening with, "Yesterday afternoon, I listened with a heavy and sorrowful heart to the desperate cries and anger of small business owners and self-employed individuals gathered in Gwanghwamun."
He continued, "I am well aware that the patience of small business owners and self-employed individuals who have endured sacrifices for the safety of the community has already reached its limit," and apologized, saying, "As a politician responsible for politics and administration, I deeply feel the responsibility."
He said, "I am reflecting once again on what politics is and its reason for existence. What use is politics that only gets lost in political strife without solving people's livelihoods?" He added, "A few days ago, I promised to provide not partial but full support for the dedication and sacrifice of small business owners and self-employed individuals, expanding financial support to fiscal support, and offering 'complete compensation' such as advance support."
Then, Lee added, "Yesterday, the Democratic Party held a party meeting and adopted a bill to amend the Small Business Support Act, which establishes the legal basis for advance support and advance compensation for small business owners, as the party's official stance."
He also urged Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, and Kim Jong-in, the party’s general election committee chairman, saying, "I repeatedly urge discussions on providing 100 trillion won in support for COVID-19 response. Compensation for COVID-19 losses is not a choice but a matter of survival," emphasizing, "It is needed now, not later."
He continued, "If the ruling and opposition parties agree, the government will also cooperate in preparing a large supplementary budget," and added, "I will also request cooperation from local governments nationwide for an emergency supplementary budget to compensate self-employed individuals for their losses."
Furthermore, he said, "We will work together with you to find ways to minimize the damage to small business owners and self-employed individuals from uniform quarantine passes and business hour restrictions while maximizing the effectiveness of quarantine," and promised, "We will definitely respond to the desperate cries of small business owners and self-employed individuals."
In conclusion, he said, "We will ensure that no one suffers losses even when following the rules, and provide special compensation for special sacrifices. We will not forget that protecting those who dedicate themselves to the safety of the community is the very reason for the existence of the state," and ended his post by saying, "We will do everything possible to end this time of pain and patience as soon as possible."
On the 22nd, self-employed participants at the "Self-Employed General Rally" held at Gwanghwamun Citizen Open Square in Jongno-gu, Seoul, urged the suspension of business restrictions and the quarantine pass system, as well as compensation for losses. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@
Earlier, the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business (KSMB) and the National Emergency Committee of Self-Employed Responding to COVID-19 (NECS) held a "Small Business Owners and Self-Employed Survival Rights Resolution Rally" on the 22nd at the Gwanghwamun Citizen Open Square in Jongno-gu, Seoul.
About 300 self-employed individuals gathered there demanded ▲withdrawal of the quarantine pass (vaccination certificate and negative test confirmation system) ▲abolition of business restrictions ▲significant expansion of support funds for small business owners ▲immediate revision of the enforcement decree of the Loss Compensation Act ▲withdrawal of the expanded application of the Labor Standards Act to workplaces with fewer than five employees.
On the day, Oh Se-hee, president of the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business, said in his opening remarks, "We small business owners and self-employed individuals have been the biggest victims and unilateral scapegoats of the COVID-19 crisis over the past two years. Although we have actively cooperated with quarantine measures, the quarantine policies have been continuously extended, and the insufficient support funds and loss compensation make overcoming the crisis a long way off."
He continued, "The economy of small business owners and self-employed individuals is shaking due to the COVID-19 crisis, and even our overall economy is shaking," appealing, "The number of closures is increasing, and small business owners and self-employed individuals who cannot endure are being driven to extreme choices."
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