Coronavirus: as quarantine measures bite in South Korea, working class takes hardest hit
- Amid nationwide containment measures, small businesses and working-class people are battling to make ends meet and survive
- Some unemployed and elderly are now reliant on government welfare measures, soup kitchens and the efforts of volunteers
In her 25 years of selling clothes in the city of Paju, northwest of Seoul, she has never faced a bigger business crisis. “I start to head home early at 5pm these days, as there are literally no customers,” she said.
For Jung, who lives with her husband, these are trying times for a household of two making below the median monthly income of 2,991,980 won (US$2,408), with no steady paycheques. “Nowadays, I consider myself lucky to make 10,000 Korean won (US$8) a day,” Jung said.
In contrast, most white-collar workers employed by larger South Korean companies have the luxury of working at home to avoid the risk of contracting the coronavirus while receiving their regular paycheques.
Even before the pandemic delivered a serious blow to her business, Jung made a little less than 900,000 won (US$716) a month, entitling her and her husband to receive money from the government for basic living expenses.