정부, 자영업 성장 및 혁신 대책 발표..2022년까지 자영업 밀집 구도심 상권 30곳 복합개발<br /><br />More than 20 percent of South Koreans with jobs are self-employed.<br />To improve the business environment for these people, the government rolled out several measures to lessen the burden caused by the minimum wage hike.<br />More such steps are announced today: including the revitalization of rundown areas in city centers.<br />Ko Roon-hee explains how they would work. <br />President Moon jae-in's administration has taken a range of measures to help the self-employed... as part of building what it calls an "inclusive nation."<br />And it announced on Thursday that by 2022... 30 commercial districts in old downtown areas where self-employed businesses are concentrated... will be transformed into new composite spaces ...where people can enjoy shopping and culture. <br />The specific locations of these 30 areas have not been decided yet,... but some of them are in the cities of Daegu and Suwon. <br />Speaking to reporters on Thursday in Seoul, the minister of SMEs and Startups, Hong Jong-haak, said the measure includes supporting traditional markets... by improving their facilities, for instance, or adding more space for parking.<br />Another main issue is revitalizing local economies.<br />The ministry of SMEs says it will 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.<br />For that one in particular, the ministry aims to issue around 8-point-9 billion U.S. dollars worth of them by 2022, and it will encourage public institutions to buy more of them.<br />These measures are also about creating a stronger social safety net. <br />The government will review whether it can make it easier for the self-employed to get employment insurance.<br />Plus, for the self-employed who're worried about their overdue debts,... the government plans to increase the percentage of people eligible for debt forgiveness, depending on their financial condition.<br />And for people who want to start their own businesses, the government aims to provide vocational training for 20-thousand people by 2022.<br />Ko Roon-hee, Arirang News. <br />
