국민 절반이 코로나 이후 실직 또는 임금 줄었다…취약층 소득<br /><br />Nearly half of all South Koreans either lost jobs or took a hit in their income due to the Covid-19 outbreak.<br />How the pandemic impacted South Koreans in 2020, our Kim Yeon-seung reports.<br />Almost half of the population in South Korea have suffered job losses or pay cuts during the COVID-19 pandemic.<br />That's according to a 2020 social trend report from Statistics Korea of 35-thousand households.<br />50-point-3 percent who participated in the study said that their source of income didn't change during the pandemic.<br />But 49-point-7 percent said their employment status has been affected.<br />14-percent said that they had lost their jobs.<br />And almost 27-percent said that, although they were able to maintain employment, their paychecks took a hit.<br />9-percent said that they had been furloughed.<br />The report also showed that those in the low-income bracket were hit the hardest.<br />Women, minors, and temporary workers experienced the steepest decline in employment.<br />With COVID-19 crippling the country's economy, many think it's crucial for the pandemic to be brought to an end as soon as possible.<br />According to a survey conducted by Seoul National University on 1-thousand people, almost 80-percent said that COVID-19 prevention should come before individual rights.<br />The study also revealed that, up until May, more people found the social repercussions and shame that follows a COVID-19 infection more intimidating that the virus itself.<br />South Korea tops the composite index for efficient response to COVID-19 among the 33 OECD nations.<br />The country has also secured vaccines for 88-percent of its population with shipments expected to begin in March next year.<br />Kim Yeon-seung, Arirang News<br />
