BUSINESS OWNERS DEMAND LIFTING MEASURES

[Anchor Lead]

Small business owners staged another rally on Friday. They are demanding that the current COVID-19 restrictions be lifted and businesses be allowed to take precautions at their own discretion.

[Pkg]

Small business owners continued their strike for the second day. They kept the venue of the demonstration undisclosed to avoid police crackdowns and held the rally late at night. The number of small business owners participating in it grew on the second day. They demand compensation for their sacrifices and losses sustained during the pandemic.

[Soundbite] Kim Ki-hong(Small business owners’ committee) : "Self-employed people had to sacrifice a lot to help contain outbreaks. They never received proper compensation for business losses. We are asking the government to save us."

Protesters say the current COVID-19 restrictions are unfair. They want the measures lifted and businesses allowed to take precautions at their own discretion.

[Soundbite] "Even the safest facilities can be problematic when individuals don’t wear masks or do something that endangers others. The facilities themselves are not dangerous. We want the virus prevention measures to focus on individual precautions."

The protestors scheduled a news conference in front of the government complex in Seoul on Friday afternoon, to demand a meeting with the government. Police vowed to review if the vehicle rally is considered unlawful, then take stern measures against it.