The South Korean government is extending a helping hand to small business owners and the self-employed to ease the burden of the minimum wage hike.<br /> At a policy coordination meeting Wednesday,... the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and the government agreed it will come in the form of additional financial support.<br />The two sides say they will expand the number of people eligible for earned income tax credit -- a program that gives tax refunds to low-income households.<br />The package also includes supporting social insurance fees... and a cut in credit card commissions... for small online business owners and private taxi drivers.<br />They also plan to provide special low-rate loans to small business owners,... while small businesses with less than five workers will get an additional monthly job allowance.<br />The government expects that the measures will be equivalent to providing over 6 billion U.S. dollars in support.<br />The ruling party also vowed to pass related bills during the August parliamentary session so the new measures can be implemented smoothly. <br />
