“I work 11 hours and my sales are 0 won.” “Why do I have to close my academy when the PC room is open?”
Complaints from self-employed people have been pouring in since the government implemented 2.5 steps of social distance in the Seoul metropolitan area on the 8th. More than 40 petitions containing complaints from self-employed people were posted on the Cheong Wa Dae petition board in just three days. They urged the government to take measures, saying, “The livelihood is on the brink of a precipice,” and “What are the standards for prevention by industry?”
According to Cheong Wa Dae’s petition board on Tuesday, 44 petitions related to self-employment were posted from July 7 to the same day. It accounts for 27.5 percent of the total 160 petitions posted during the same period.
There were a series of desperate stories on the bulletin board complaining of business difficulties. “6 million won a month, including 1.65 million won in monthly rent, 500,000 won in administrative expenses, 200,000 won in electricity bills, and 2.7 million won in labor costs, is still going out,” said A, who runs the academy. “Please let me keep my living.” Hagwons in the Seoul metropolitan area are in the 2.5 stage of distance keeping them closed until July 29. “Saturday sales fell from 610,000 won before the second stage of the campaign to 0 won last week,” said the petitioner, who posted the article titled 토토커뮤니티 “Stop the massacre at the cafe,” adding, “This is not a quarantine but a massacre at the cafe.”
There were also many postings such as complaints about equity among industries, criticism of the table administration, and calls for government measures such as reducing rent. A petitioner pointed out on the 7th, “It is the preparation period for the final exam at the end of this month, and it does not make sense to allow PC room operations and order a ban on gatherings at private institutes and teaching centers.” As of 3 p.m., 46,000 people agreed to the post.
B, who runs an indoor sports facility, pointed out, “When you exercise, you take off your mask less than half of the time at restaurants and cafes,” and added, “It’s absurd that you can’t take off your mask in a bathhouse or a shower at a gym shower.” An article titled “Why is it that only self-employed people receive unilateral bullets in the Korona War,” written by the management of the self-employed cafe “Because I’m sick,” which has 600,000 members, was approved by more than 100,000 people three days after the petition was filed.
Self-employed people agreed that cash support is urgently needed. On the bulletin board of the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, there were posts saying, “Please reduce the rent of businesses subject to the ban” and “Please reduce public utility fees at least.”