Small Business Owners Rally, Demand Protection of Livelihoods

Small business owners held a large-scale rally in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 9th, calling for the guarantee of their right to survival. Industry groups, including the Korea Federation of Small Business Owners, who gathered from all over the country, strongly demanded the cessation of efforts to expand the 'Labor Standards Act application to workplaces with fewer than 5 employees' and the 'Basic Law for Workers'. This rally was held with the goal of protecting the survival rights of 7.9 million small business owners.

Small business owners argued that if these laws are implemented, labor costs will significantly increase due to extended working hours and paid holidays, and if they are applied to freelancers and platform workers, an additional annual cost of 5.05 million won per person could arise. They demanded a reform of the minimum wage system with differentiated application by industry and region, and the abolition of weekly holiday pay.

Furthermore, small business owners urged the 'legalization of small business owners' right to organize and negotiate' and the 'establishment of a Presidential Committee for Small Business Owners'. Song Chi-yeong, president of the Korea Federation of Small Business Owners, stated that if the government and the National Assembly ignore the voices from the field, they will launch a larger nationwide protest.