"Sales Bubble During Seollal Holiday"... Strong Backlash from Self-Employed Workers

Self-Employed Devastated Again by 3-Week Extension Decision
Koja Association: "Emergency Meeting Convened... Statement to Be Announced Today"
Self-Employed Committee: "Truly Heartbreaking Sentiment"

Self-employed workers affected by the government's extended strengthened social distancing measures staged a light-on protest on the 6th in opposition to the quarantine guidelines. The National Emergency Response Committee for Self-Employed will conduct the light-on protest by turning on signs and business lights from 9 PM to midnight until the 14th. The photo shows a business at Baekhak Market in Jung-gu, Seoul, participating in the light-on protest that day. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] As the current social distancing measures have been extended for three weeks, self-employed business owners who hoped for relaxation ahead of the Seol holiday season are unable to hide their disappointment.

Kwon Hee-yeon (33), who runs a cafe in Gwangmyeong-si, Gyeonggi Province, said, "Allowing only the number of people without easing business hours is meaningless," adding, "Thinking about how they will claim to have listened to the demands of self-employed business owners makes me furious." Ryu Jong-hyun (38, pseudonym), who operates a karaoke room in Gangseo-gu, said, "I was hoping to do business during the Seol holiday with a bit of hope, but it turned out to be a bubble," lamenting, "I have been falling behind on rent payments, and now there is almost nothing left of the deposit." Heated debates have also taken place in self-employed communities and chat rooms about whether to start collective action as early as this weekend.

The Korea Federation of Self-Employed Victims of COVID-19 (KoJaChong) plans to discuss future responses, including large-scale protests next week. They intend to go as far as a movement against quarantine policies if their demands are not met. KoJaChong is also preparing a class-action lawsuit for compensation of losses, targeting participation of 200,000 self-employed individuals.

On the 12th, KoJaChong held a press conference in front of the National Assembly opposing government quarantine policies and announced a collective head-shaving event involving 299 members, which was temporarily postponed. Along with this, they planned a collective shutdown and conducted a vote among members, but this was also canceled. Oh Ho-seok, president of KoJaChong, said, "We convened an emergency meeting after the government announcement and plan to release a statement later today once opinions are gathered."

The streets of Myeongdong felt even colder. It was not just because of the subzero temperatures. Due to the resurgence of COVID-19, a decrease in tourists, and the strengthening of social distancing measures, numerous rental inquiries, temporary closure notices, and business termination announcements were posted all over the shops in this area. On the 7th, I captured images of about 100 closed stores in the streets of Myeongdong. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

The Korea COVID-19 Response National Emergency Committee of Self-Employed, which has been holding light-on protests since the 6th to express opposition to government quarantine policies, will conclude the light-on protests by today and discuss directions for collective action starting next week.

Jo Ji-hyun, co-representative of the Korea COVID-19 Response National Emergency Committee of Self-Employed, said, "I feel truly devastated," adding, "This measure, too, does not reflect or consider the opinions of self-employed or small business owners. We plan to discuss response policies internally." Self-employed business owners are also closely watching the court decision expected as early as the 14th on whether to maintain the effectiveness of the government's quarantine pass (vaccination certificate and negative test confirmation) policy.

On the morning of the same day, the government announced at the regular briefing of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) the adjusted social distancing measures to be applied from the 17th and the quarantine measures for the Seol holiday. According to the adjustment, business hours for multi-use facilities will remain as currently enforced, and private gatherings will be allowed up to a maximum of six people. These measures will be applied for three weeks from the 17th of this month through the 6th of next month, including the Seol holiday period.