The deadline for payment of electricity and gas bills for small business owners and the vulnerable will be extended by 3 months until December this year.



Industrial complex rents are cut in half, and the limit on export credit guarantees for mid-sized companies is doubled.



The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy held the 2nd real economy inspection meeting on the 15th and announced'Additional Measures to Support Corona Response Companies'.



First, the government decided to extend the payment deadline for electricity and city gas bills for small businesses and low-income people nationwide by three months.



No late fees will be charged during the extended period.



The delay in payment of electricity bills, which was originally planned for September, has been extended to October-December.



If the payment deadline is already being extended, it will be extended without a separate application, and a new application can be made at the KEPCO call center (123 without an area code).



City gas is subject to charges for September to December, and charges for which the payment deadline is extended can be divided equally from the time the payment deadline arrives until June of next year.



You can apply from the 21st to the end of December through the local city gas company's call center and website.



An official from the Ministry of Industry said, "The deferred payment for the September-December fee, including the winter season, will be more effective than the April-June fee."



The government also decided to ease the rent burden on companies.



The rent of 800 SMEs in the national industrial complex is reduced by 50% by the end of the year.



A maximum of 100% reduction is provided for 1,000 companies that have occupied public institutions such as KEPCO and Gas Corporation.



The Ministry of Industry is planning to expedite the investment and purchase of goods of KRW 4.3 trillion, scheduled for the fourth quarter, in cooperation with the relevant public institutions.



The schedule for hiring about 5,000 public institutions, planned by the end of the year, has also been pursued without a hitch.



The number of hiring including interns is 1,169 KEPCO, 719 KPS for KEPCO, and 662 for Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power.



Support is also strengthened to help companies make export breakthroughs.



We increase the limit of export credit guarantees for mid-sized companies from 5 billion won to 10 billion won.



In addition, starting with textiles, we plan to open permanent online exhibition halls for each of the 10 industries, including electronics, machinery, and shipbuilding, in order to support companies' export activities online.



We also released customized support plans for each industry.



In the case of Root Industry, which is experiencing financial difficulties due to the recent decrease in workforce, the limit of performance guarantees such as contracts and material purchases has been decided to triple from 200 million won to 600 million won.



From October, we plan to provide a'reliability voucher' to receive quality improvement consulting such as failure analysis by specialized institutions, and to establish a'root industry master training center' to nurture human resources in the root industry, the basis of the manufacturing industry.



The exhibition industry supports the cost of converting canceled exhibitions to online exhibitions, and increases support for hosting exhibitions that will resume in the future.



In the exhibition sector, more than 60 exhibitions have been canceled or postponed only after August, resulting in a double grief of sales decline and penalty damage.



The textile industry has decided to hold a large-scale online and offline promotional event with famous online platforms and 150 brands.



For the machinery and aviation manufacturing industries, which are on the verge of receiving orders, a special financial support program worth KRW 300 billion has been established to provide emergency liquidity to small and medium-sized business partners.



Minister Sung Yun-mo said, "As the unexpected corona crisis continues, the economic rebound is delayed and the difficulties for the people and companies are increasing." "I need this."



(Photo = Yonhap News)