Kim Wonyi: "Urgent Protection Needed for 4.21 Million Solo Proprietors Against Violent Crimes"

15.4% of Female Self-Employed Experience Verbal Abuse

Won Kim, member of the Democratic Party of Korea.

With the number of self-employed individuals without employees-so-called “solo proprietors”-surpassing 4.21 million, there are growing calls for urgent institutional safeguards to protect them from crimes such as verbal abuse and assault.

According to the “Employment Trends for April 2025” released by Statistics Korea, the number of self-employed individuals without employees reached 4,215,000, which is three times higher than the 1,401,000 self-employed individuals with employees. As single-person stores such as convenience stores, small restaurants, and nail salons become increasingly common, cases of self-employed individuals being exposed to crime are on the rise.

According to materials submitted by Assemblyman Won Kim of the Democratic Party of Korea (representing Mokpo, South Jeolla Province) to the National Assembly’s audit on October 1, police data show that the number of crimes occurring in convenience stores over the past five years was as follows: 14,697 cases in 2020, 15,489 cases in 2021, 16,435 cases in 2022, 18,167 cases in 2023, and 16,601 cases in 2024. Each year, more than 15,000 such incidents have been reported.

In addition, a survey conducted last year by the Gyeonggi Province Women and Family Foundation found that 15.4% of female self-employed individuals had experienced verbal violence, while 1.8% had experienced physical violence. In most cases, the perpetrators were customers.

Assemblyman Kim stressed, “The government should expand the distribution of safety equipment for single-person small business owners, which is currently being implemented in some local governments, and promote the nationwide rollout of safety call and safety bell systems that are directly connected to the police. Proactive measures are needed to protect single-person self-employed individuals from crime.”