Lee Nak-yeon's Second Pledge: 'Solving Difficulties of Small Business Owners and Self-Employed'

Lee Nak-yeon, the Saeroun Mirae candidate for Gwangsan-gu (Eul), Gwangju Metropolitan City, announced his second pledge to "resolve difficulties faced by small business owners and self-employed individuals."

On the 27th, Lee held a joint press conference with the Korea Small Business Party at the Gwangju City Council, announcing plans for policy cooperation and election collaboration to support small business owners and the self-employed.

Lee said, "When small business owners smile, Gwangju and the Republic of Korea can smile."

He continued, "Small business establishments, which account for 67.7% of all businesses in Korea and employ 7.2 million people, play a pivotal role in the national economy. However, with the ongoing triple challenges of high interest rates, high exchange rates, and high inflation, small business owners are facing unprecedented difficulties."

At this event, Lee and the Korea Small Business Party announced four pledges for small business owners and the self-employed.

First, the establishment of a specialized bank for small business owners. This bank will develop financial products exclusively for small business owners and provide asset management consulting to improve their access to finance.

Second, through the "Waiver of Interest on Emergency COVID-19 Loans," they promised to relieve the economic burden on small business owners by exempting interest on emergency loans taken due to COVID-19.

Third, the establishment of the Small Business Agency. This agency will be newly created to facilitate professional and systematic communication with small business owners and enhance the efficiency of support policies for them.

Lastly, the fourth pledge is to strengthen childbirth and childcare support for small business owners and the self-employed. They plan to establish a comprehensive support system to ensure that small business owners and the self-employed are not excluded from childbirth and childcare benefits.

Lee and the Korea Small Business Party expressed a strong determination to resolve the difficulties faced by small business owners and the self-employed nationwide, including Gwangju, through this policy cooperation and to revitalize the Korean economy.

They promised to listen to the voices of small business owners and the self-employed and to create tangible changes that reflect their demands.