<Anchor> As the
corona situation is getting longer, self-employed people are suffering a lot.
Although the government has introduced'good landlord measures' to induce rents to be cut, the effect has been negligible.
Reporter Jeon Yeon-nam covered the problem.
<Reporter>
Seoul's representative commercial district Myeongdong Street. Despite lunchtime on weekdays, this street is empty and it is difficult to find people passing by.
This is where the three attached stores are closed in succession, and rental notices are easy to find.
Even merchants with open doors are eager to cut rents.
[Merchant: Next month, I'm going to assess (to ask for a lower rent).
I heard that they rarely do it.
The owners also said it was difficult.]
So, the government came up with a'good landlord' measure that gives tax benefits to landlords who cut rents.
The benefit period, which was scheduled to end at the end of June this year, was also extended until the end of the year.
However, not many landlords responded.
Last year, sales of stores on the first floor of major commercial districts in Seoul fell by 36%, but the average monthly rent fell only 0.6%.
As of October last year, there were 43,000 stores that received rent reduction benefits, and less than 1% of the 7 million small business owners nationwide.
The landlord also argues that it is difficult to lower the rent with only the tax reduction benefits, although it is difficult for each landlord.
[Landlord: (I've played) for a 50% reduction difficult was the situation I know what the nanuja little to each other this gets the long war it willingly.]
[Sim gyoeon / Konkuk University real estate professor: justice yiradeunga rely only on there to this It is almost impossible to keep the system going.
It
is pointed out that the fact that self-employed business owners who have opened since February last year
will not be
eligible for rent cuts will reduce the effectiveness of the policy.
(Video editing: Seung-yeol Lee, VJ: Hyun-woo Park)