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| The entrance to an 'adult entertainment facility' remains closed in Dongdaemun, Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap |
Women's rights group denounces relief for 'anti-women establishments'
By Lee Kyung-min
Women's rights group vehemently criticized the National Assembly's last-minute flip-flopping to allow operators of "adult entertainment facilities" to receive up to 2 million won ($1,710) in emergency relief, Wednesday, saying taxpayers' money should not be wasted to legitimize operation of establishments built to profit from the exploitation of women.
Also brewing are voices of frustration from those that aren't qualified to seek the financial assistance. A total 7.8 trillion won was budgeted for the fourth extra budget bill drafted to grant the second round of emergency relief of up to 2 million won each to some 10.23 million low-income and small businesses hit by a flare-up of COVID infections since late August.
Parents of high school students excluded from the benefit say they are demoralized by what they deem "selective and discriminatory" assistance, given they pay a heavy amount of tax and are under the same pressure to support their children. Parents of children aged up to 13 will receive 200,000 won, and those with middle school students will be given 150,000 won.
Under the bill that passed the National Assembly Tuesday, 2 million won will be given to operators of "adult entertainment facilities" shut down temporarily to comply with the government's administrative order to prevent further spread of the virus since late August.
The venues were initially denied the relief for implied reasons of their promotion of prostitution. But the decision was changed later following a recommendation from the National Assembly Special Committee on Budget and Accounts and National Assembly Budget Office that said those legally set up establishments suffered the same as others due to administrative orders.
The Korea Women's Associations United, representing 28 women's advocacy groups, blasted the decision saying it should be "scrapped immediately for its backward-looking values against humanity."
"The National Assembly should cancel the relief plan for the facilities, hotbeds of sexual exploitation that perpetuate systemic abuse of women," the group said in a statement.
"Respect for social agreements and public sentiment is nowhere to be found in a decision that was made by a group of people supposed to be held accountable for what should be completely eradicated from society."
Meanwhile, at the top of the list of relief recipients will be "special contract workers," as defined by their inability to subscribe to state-run employment insurance and therefore left out of any unemployment benefit schemes.
Up to 500,000 won will be given to about 500,000 people who received 1.5 million won in May as part of the first round of emergency relief. Some 200,000 people whose income plummeted during the second flare-up of infections will be given 2 million won. The low-income, contract-based workers include chauffeurs, insurance planners, commission-based sales workers, golf caddies, workers contracted with private education material publishers, delivery workers, and concrete mixer drivers.
