The pandemic has deepened a stark economic divide between high-tech manufacturing and low-productivity services. Whereas employment in manufaturing in South Korea stayed roughly constant, domestic businesses including cafes, restaurants and cosmetics shops have closed down. To cushion the blow, the government has doled out about 1% of GDP in relief payments, but business-owners thought the payments have barely made a dent in their losses. Meanwhile, the usual bustle of socialising and dining out will take a while due to sluggishly progressing vaccinations.
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