Rep. Song Seok-jun Introduces Bill to Support Small Business Owners' Comeback

[News S=Reporter Eom In-yong]Rep. Song Seok-jun of the People Power Party (representing Icheon, Gyeonggi Province; Chair of the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee) announced on the 6th that he has introduced an amendment to the "Small Business Owner Act" as the lead sponsor.

The bill aims to allow support for small business owners through closure assistance funds and minimum living expenses during business restart or job retraining preparations.

Rep. Song explained that the introduction of this bill comes amid the social problem of consecutive closures of small businesses, and is intended to support cases where small business owners are forced to close through no fault of their own.

However, the bill only applies to cases where small business owners close their businesses without their own liability or for reasons stipulated by presidential decree that cannot be attributed to the small business owner's fault.

Under current law, there was no concrete support basis for small business owners who closed for reasons not of their own making.

Therefore, if this bill passes, small business owners forced to close for unavoidable reasons are expected to reduce the burden of bearing closure-related costs such as facility demolition fees, rent, and loan repayment at their own expense.

The detailed contents of the amendment introduced by Rep. Song Seok-jun are as follows.

△Small business owners who closed due to enactment or amendment of laws, and △cases of closure where the small business owner bears no liability, as stipulated by presidential decree, are designated as support targets.

△The affected small business owners can receive closure assistance funds and minimum living expenses during business restart or job retraining preparations.

Additionally, △minimum living expenses are set based on the amount calculated according to the "National Basic Living Security Act," ensuring objectivity and effectiveness of the support.

Meanwhile, Rep. Song Seok-jun stated, "We should not place the full responsibility of closure on small business owners who have had to cease their livelihoods overnight due to changes in laws and systems." He added, "If this amendment passes, it is expected to provide a foundation for comeback among small business owners forced into closure and make a significant contribution to resolving their livelihood issues."