SEOUL, Aug. President Yoon Suk-yeol vowed Thursday to help grow small businesses and the self-employed by implementing short- to long-term plans focused on recovery from the pandemic and fostering entrepreneurship.
Yoon made the remark as he presided over an emergency meeting on the economy and people’s livelihood issues at a traditional market in eastern Seoul.
Reviving the economy has been a major focus of the president as the country grapples with the effects of high inflation, a weak currency and high interest rates.
“Our small businesses and the self-employed are suffering from a decline in sales and an increase in debt caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and I believe properly taking care of these people’s lives is the reason for existence of the state and the government,” Yoon said after meeting with merchants at the Amsa Complex Market.
“In the short term, I will help their debt adjustment and swift revival through an emergency response plan, and in the mid- to long-term, create the conditions so that they can grow into entrepreneurial small business owners with competitiveness,” he said.
Yoon said it was his first time visiting the market and he was impressed by its liveliness in difficult circumstances.
He said he was particularly impressed by the way merchants were trying to make the most of online technologies.
Source: Yonhap News Agency