A Heartwarming Story of a Public Officer Who Moved the Owner of a Local Stationery Store in Jeungsan-dong, Eunpyeong-gu Facing Closure?

Due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, local stationery stores face recession and risk of closure; stationery store owner Lee says, "Thanks to this, I resolved overdue rent... Thanks to the district office's efforts"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] “Officer Hwang Su-bin! Thank you for your help. Thanks to you, I was able to use it effectively to pay the overdue rent.”

Mr. Lee Nam-seok (71), who runs a neighborhood stationery store in Jeungsan-dong, Eunpyeong-gu, said this after finally receiving support from the ‘Tenant Small Business Owner Protection Fund’ recently.

Lee’s stationery store, located at the corner of the three-way intersection in front of Yeonseo Middle School, has long been responsible for supplying stationery to local students.

However, due to the recent impact of COVID-19, nearby schools postponed in-person classes or switched to online learning, drastically reducing the number of students and putting Lee’s neighborhood stationery store in crisis.

Seoul City’s ‘Tenant Small Business Owner Protection Fund’ is a program that supports small business owners by providing rent assistance to reduce fixed costs. Applications for the support were accepted online and at district offices during February and March of this year.

Mr. Lee heard about the rent support program at the district office through newspapers and broadcasts, inquired about it, and visited the district office to apply for the support fund.

The officer in charge of Lee’s application was Officer Hwang Su-bin from the Eunpyeong-gu Job and Economy Division. Officer Hwang said, “The stationery store owner was unfamiliar with the application process, so I tried to provide as detailed guidance as possible on the necessary parts.”

A few days after Lee’s initial application, the city requested additional documents. There were many extra documents to submit, such as the monthly rent section of the lease contract and the business registration name.

Lee, who had no immediate way to resolve the overdue rent, was discouraged, but Officer Hwang reassured him by explaining that the application could proceed once the additional documents were supplemented.

Due to the long operation period of Lee’s stationery store, it was not easy to find the related documents. Moreover, since on-site applications had already closed and only online applications were possible, it was even more difficult for elderly Lee to upload supplementary materials via computer or mobile.

With Lee’s consent, Officer Hwang personally took the phone and helped register the supplementary documents online. Team members also came together to assist Lee. They maintained continuous contact with Seoul City and related agencies, trying every administrative method to help the elderly Lee understand and to secure approval for the support fund.

After these efforts, Lee’s application was finally approved on the 8th after revisions and supplements?an entire month after the initial application.

Lee said, “Thanks to the district office, I was able to partially resolve the overdue rent and continue operating,” adding, “I especially want to thank Officer Hwang Su-bin, who kindly helped me without giving up until the end.”

Officer Hwang said, “I just did what I had to do, but I’m glad it was helpful,” and added, “There are still many small business owners in the area struggling. I will continue to actively work to provide even a little help to them.”

Meanwhile, Lee expressed, “Although I have been running this stationery store here for a long time, I have never experienced such hardship,” and lamented the difficult situation, saying, “Seeing local shops around me closing down doesn’t feel like someone else’s problem.”

Lee also shared that the prolonged COVID-19 situation over the past few years made him consider quitting the stationery business. “I wanted to quit, but the images of the children who used to come here vividly come to mind. It’s a small neighborhood stationery store, but it means a lot to me and the local kids. Even recently, I have been in steady contact with students who graduated 10 years ago and those who recently joined the military,” he said.

Lee especially praised Officer Hwang, saying, “I think I caused a lot of trouble, but she never complained and kindly handled the civil service process until the end, which was impressive,” repeating his compliments.