Oh Se-hoon, Concerned About Tourist Decline Amid Political Turmoil, Says "We Must Cover Government Blind Spots"

"Listen to the Tourism Industry and Confirm Support Areas"
"Clear Message Needed That Daily Life Will Be Maintained"
Seoul City Expands Detailed Support Including Additional Taxi Supply

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon instructed officials to assess the situation on the ground and devise detailed support measures, saying, "Tourists are currently canceling their visits to Korea." This move reflects concerns that the decline in tourists due to the martial law situation and impeachment crisis may become prolonged.

According to Seoul City on the 10th, Mayor Oh, during a senior officials' meeting held the previous day, gave closing remarks urging, "Please ensure that citizens can clearly feel the message that daily life is being maintained as usual, even if it is not flashy."

On the morning of the 9th, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon presided over an executive meeting at Seoul City Hall attended by all heads of departments, headquarters, and bureaus, where he announced support measures including the 'Small Business Support Project.' Photo by Seoul City Hall

In particular, Mayor Oh mentioned the recent decline in foreign tourists due to a series of incidents and requested, "Please gather representatives from the tourism industry, listen to their concerns, and take care of how we can assist them." According to the travel industry, since the declaration of martial law on the 3rd, there has been a flood of inquiries from foreigners checking whether they can still visit Korea. Major tourist attractions and luxury hotels are concentrated in downtown Seoul, so the impact on Seoul is even greater. Bloomberg Intelligence (BI), in a report published on the 5th, the day after President Yoon Seok-yeol declared the lifting of martial law, forecasted that "the number of Chinese tourists visiting Korea in the first quarter of next year could decrease by about 19% to approximately 830,000 compared to the previous year."

Mayor Oh repeatedly emphasized to his officials on the same day, "Please be mindful not to deviate significantly from public sentiment while managing so that consumption does not shrink." This is in the same context?to preemptively block any negative impact on the operations of small business owners and self-employed individuals and to convey the message that daily life can be maintained to them.

This is also why Seoul City announced plans to supply an additional 1,000 taxis during nighttime hours throughout December and extend the last bus service times. Together with the taxi industry, temporary taxi stands will be installed in areas with high late-night demand such as Gangnam, Jongno, and Hongdae, which is interpreted as indirect support for the businesses of small business owners and self-employed individuals.

Mayor Oh, who promised the launch of the 'Small Business Owners Support Project' worth a total of 535.6 billion KRW, systematically covering everything from financial aid to sales increase measures, also decided to hold emergency economic meetings daily for the time being starting from that day. These meetings will focus on detailed issues by economic sector, and private organizations will also participate to establish and supplement support measures by each department. On the first day, the Korea Federation of SMEs, the Korea Venture Investment Association, and the Samsung Economic Research Institute are expected to attend.