Small business owners welcomed the 'mandatory closure system for large supermarkets on public holidays' being discussed in the National Assembly.
The Federation of Small Businesses stated on the 11th, "The mandatory closure system for large supermarkets on public holidays is a minimal safety net for the protection of small businesses," and noted, "We welcome the legislative push to clearly institutionalize this."
The mandatory closure of large supermarkets on public holidays was introduced in December 2011 but was abolished in January of last year. Currently, local governments across the country are determining mandatory closure days through voluntary agreements.
The Democratic Party of Korea announced a list of 20 livelihood agendas in March that included the mandatory closure of large supermarkets on public holidays. Previously, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Oh Se-hee sponsored a revision to the Distribution Industry Development Act in September of last year, requiring local government heads to specify mandatory closure days on public holidays.
The Federation of Small Businesses emphasized, "As intended by the law, on the 2nd of each month, specifically two Sundays a month, large supermarkets should close to encourage customers to use traditional markets and local supermarkets."
The Federation of Small Businesses also argued, "Large and medium-sized ingredient supermarkets are becoming omnivorous giants that disrupt the distribution ecosystem by exploiting loopholes in the Distribution Industry Development Act," and stated, "In discussions on amending the Distribution Industry Development Act, we must include large and medium-sized ingredient supermarkets as subject to regulation."