In South Korea, more than 20-percent of the employed are self-employed.<br />To improve the business environment for these people, the Moon Jae-in administration has announced various measures such as providing financial support to lessen the burden stemming from the minimum wage hike.<br />And this morning, the government unveiled fresh measures including revitalizing old downtown areas. <br />For more, our Ko Roon-hee is on the line for us.<br />Roon-hee, tell us the latest. <br /><br />Jiyoon. <br />The South Korean government announced on Thursday that by 2022, 30 commercial districts in old downtown areas where self-employed businesses are concentrated...will be transformed into a new composite space ...where people can enjoy shopping and culture.<br />The specific locations of where these 30 areas will be... have not been decided yet. <br />Speaking to reporters in Seoul, the minister of SMEs and Startups, Hong Jong-hak said...this measure includes supporting traditional markets...by improving their facilities or providing enough space for parking. <br />Another main issue is revitalizing the local economy.<br />The ministry of SMEs aims to issue more gift certificates that can be used in traditional markets or small and mid-sized businesses.<br />One example is the Onnuri gift certificate, and the ministry aims to issue around 8-point-9 billion U.S. dollars worth of the certificates by 2022. <br />The government vowed to encourage public institutions to purchase more of these certificates. <br /><br />So, what about the people who want to start their own businesses in the future, any plans for them?<br /><br />Yes, by 2022, the government aims to provide vocational training for 20-thousand people wishing to start their own business.<br />In addition, the government aims to provide videos of success and failure stories of startups.<br />And lastly, it will review whether it is possible to ease the conditions for the self-employed to get employment insurance.<br />That's all from me at this hour, Ji-yoon. <br />
