The Ministry of SMEs and Startups said on the 19th it will hold a "roundtable on strengthening the social safety net for small business owners who suspend or close their businesses" on the 19th.
The roundtable was prepared to build a social safety net for issues such as expense burdens and income gaps that arise when businesses are suspended or closed. Guro Easy Academy, where the event was held, runs restart education for small business owners preparing for a relaunch or a change of business after closure.
Minister Han Seong-sook of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) met with small business owners participating in the education program before the roundtable to hear on-site opinions. Afterward, she moved to the nearby Guro Machinery and Tool Shopping District and held a roundtable with about 10 people, including small business owners who experienced psychological recovery and relaunching after closure, policy experts, and representatives of the shopping district's cooperative.
At the roundtable, a variety of views were shared, including cases of considering temporary suspension due to pregnancy and childcare, decisions to close due to the burden of fixed costs such as monthly rent and utility bills, and the need for psychological recovery support during the process of returning to daily life after closure.
Minister Han said, "For small business owners, suspension or closure is not just shutting the store's doors, but a process in which both livelihood and mental state are shaken," and added, "We will link support during suspension and closure with a psychological recovery system so that a single setback does not remain as a break in livelihood and a psychological scar."