South Korea eatery owners sue gov't for COVID-19 losses

ANKARA (AA) – South Korea’s government is facing a legal battle over its COVID-19 response as more than 200 owners of cafes and restaurants have filed a lawsuit for losses caused by restrictions, local media reported on Friday.

A total of 240 eatery owners are seeking 1.2 billion won ($1.08 million) in compensation from the government, according to Yonhap News Agency.

This is the second such claim against the government, following last month’s lawsuit by 358 owners of coffee shops seeking 5 million won (over $4,500) each.

“Ever since the restrictions were enforced on Nov. 23 [2020], we have cooperated with the anti-virus policies, but all we are left with is an unbearable amount of debt,” a member of a cafe owners’ group was quoted as saying at a news conference.

“At first, we struggled with policies that were not evenly applied across business sectors, but now [the government] is dividing the cafe industry [along regional lines], between the capital area and the non-capital area.”

The government indicated on Friday that it could be open to offering South Koreans another batch of emergency cash handouts, according to another Yonhap report.

In a meeting with leaders of the ruling Democratic Party, President Moon Jae-in said the government could consider giving special “consolatory money” to people once the COVID-19 pandemic is overcome, the report said.

South Korea’s battle with the virus is still far from over, with 561 more infections and six fatalities reported over the past day, raising the overall caseload to 86,126, including 1,550 deaths, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

Currently, the social distancing guidelines for the greater Seoul area, home to some half of the nation’s 52 million population, are at Level 2 – the third highest in a five-tier system – and other areas are at Level 1.5.

Authorities are considering revising the distancing scheme by simplifying the five-tier curbs and easing the ban on multi-use facilities to lessen the impact on small business owners, according to Yonhap.

* Writing by Islamuddin Sajid