S. Korean gov't unveils new measures to support self-employed

정부, 자영업 성장 및 혁신 대책 발표..2022년까지 자영업 밀집 구도심 상권 30곳 복합개발More than 20 percent of South Koreans with jobs are self-employed.To improve the business environment for these people, the government rolled out several measures to lessen the burden caused by the minimum wage hike.More such steps are announced today: including the revitalization of rundown areas in city centers.Ko Roon-hee explains how they would work. 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."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. The specific locations of these 30 areas have not been decided yet,... but some of them are in the cities of Daegu and Suwon. 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.Another main issue is revitalizing local economies.The ministry of SMEs says it will issue more gift certificates that can be used in traditional markets or small and mid-sized businesses.One example is the Onnuri gift certificate.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.These measures are also about creating a stronger social safety net. The government will review whether it can make it easier for the self-employed to get employment insurance.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.And for people who want to start their own businesses, the government aims to provide vocational training for 20-thousand people by 2022.Ko Roon-hee, Arirang News.