Companies that lost their "Seoul-Type Strong Small Business" certification — which provides up to 45 million won ($32,000) for hiring young workers — will gain a path to reapply. Merchants at Seoul's major wholesale markets will also be able to sign up for automatic management fee payments online through any financial institution.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Wednesday that it has improved three regulations to ease burdens on businesses and the self-employed, and has requested the central government to relax two additional regulations. The focus was on addressing regulations that have created practical inconveniences due to administrative practices disconnected from on-site realities.
First, reapplication for the Seoul-Type Strong Small Business program will become possible. Currently, companies certified as strong small businesses by the city can receive up to 45 million won in working environment improvement funds and consulting services per company when they hire young workers as full-time employees. However, if the agreement was canceled due to reasons such as deteriorating management, reapplication was not possible even after normalization. Going forward, the city plans to establish criteria allowing reapplication starting next year, except in cases involving legal violations or records of industrial accident penalties.
Criteria for selecting waste disposal contractors will also be rationalized. Until now, to bid for waste disposal services at sewage treatment facilities such as the Jungnang Water Reclamation Center, bidders were required to have a track record of handling "sewage treatment debris." Sewage treatment debris refers to mixed waste such as wet tissues, vinyl, and hair generated during sewage treatment, but the incineration method is the same as for general waste. The city will improve the process so that experience with general waste incineration alone will qualify bidders to participate.
The management fee payment method for merchants at the Garak, Yanggok, and Gangseo wholesale markets will also be improved. Previously, merchants had to visit Nonghyup or Suhyup branches inside the markets to sign up for automatic payments, but going forward, automatic payments will be available through all financial institutions, and online applications will be accepted. Garak Mall parking discount coupons will also be converted from paper to digital, allowing customers to receive discounts by simply entering their vehicle number at stores.
The city has also proposed legal and institutional improvements to the central government. The proposal includes a request to relax the uniform water-source energy heating and cooling performance standards applied to facilities that use only cooling, such as data centers. Water-source energy is mainly used for heating in offices and similar spaces, but at data centers, most demand is for cooling to dissipate heat from servers. Accordingly, the city requested that separate standards be established for equipment operated solely for cooling or heating.
The city also proposed allowing large food waste generators to submit disposal plans online through platforms such as "Government24." Currently, group meal facilities serving more than 100 people per day or food waste-generating businesses larger than 200 square meters must report food waste reduction and disposal plans to their district offices, but submissions can only be made in person or by mail, causing inconvenience.
"Amid economic slowdown and rising cost burdens that are causing difficulties for the self-employed, we will reduce obstacles to business activities by overhauling unnecessary standards and procedures," said Lee Jun-hyung, Seoul's regulatory innovation planning officer.
