Sole proprietors in Korea close businesses at record rate 경기침체로 자영업자폐업 가속

[김우정]

우리나라 자영업자들의 폐업이 무서운 속도로 증가하고 있습니다.

올해 2분기동안 서울에서 15,800개의 자영업자가 문을 닫았는데 팬데믹기간보다 20% 높은 수치입니다.

7월현재 개인사업자 수가 572만명으로 전년대비 62,000명감소하였고 6개월 연속 감소하고 있습니다.

사상 최악의 바닥경기를 보여주고 있는 영세사업자들에 대한 정부의 대책은 무엇인가요?

Sole proprietors in Korea close businesses at record rate amid recession
한국의 자영업자들, 경기침체로 인해 기록적인 속도로 폐업

By Ko Dong-hwan 고동환 기자
Posted : 2024-10-03 16:19 Updated : 2024-10-03 16:26
Korea Times

A tap water bill and other utility bills are jammed into a slit in a door belonging to a business that shut down in Seoul's Myeong-dong area, Sept. 22. Yonhap 9월 22일 서울 명동지역에서 문을 닫은 한 사업체의 문에 수도요금과 기타 공과금이 구멍에 끼어 있다. 연합

Low-priced chains, franchises soar in sales
저가체인점, 프랜차이즈 매출급증

Sole proprietors in Korea are closing their businesses at a record rate as the ongoing recession is driving consumers to spend less and go to businesses that offer cheaper alternatives, market observers said Thursday.
지속적인 경기침체로 인해 소비자들이 지출을 줄이고 저렴한 대안을 제공하는 기업으로 이동함에 따라 한국의 자영업자들이 기록적인 속도로 폐업하고 있다고 시장 관찰자들이 목요일 밝혔다.

The trend is evident in the piles of furniture and kitchen equipment discarded by closed businesses, along with a decline in card payments across Korea's major commercial districts.
이러한 추세는 폐쇄된 사업장에서 버려진 가구와 주방기기 더미에서 뚜렷이 나타나고 있으며, 국내 주요상권 전반에서 카드결제가 감소하고 있다.

Data shows that Korea is facing its worst consumer market in a decade, even more challenging than the period from 2020 to 2022, when the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the economy.
데이터에 따르면 한국은 코로나19 팬데믹이 경제에 영향을 미쳤던 2020년부터 2022년까지의 기간보다 훨씬 더 어려운 10년 만에 최악의 소비시장에 직면해 있다.

During the second quarter, over 15,800 businesses shut down in Seoul alone, about 20 percent higher than the average during the pandemic period.
2분기 동안 서울에서만 15,800개 이상의 기업이 문을 닫았는데, 이는 팬데믹 기간 동안 평균보다 약 20% 높은 수치이다.

According to the National Tax Service, over 986,000 businesses closed last year, the highest figure ever recorded in the country's statistics. Compared to the previous year, this was a 13.7 percent jump — also the largest jump ever recorded.
국세청에 따르면 작년에 986,000개 이상의 사업체가 문을 닫았으며, 이는 국세청 통계상 가장 높은 수치이다. 이는 전년 대비 13.7% 증가한 수치이며, 이는 역대 최대 폭으로 증가한 수치이다.

Restaurants were particularly notable in the data. Out of 790,000 registered restaurants in the country, 153,000 closed their doors last year, nearly matching the 159,000 that opened during the same period.
특히 데이터에서 식당이 눈에 띄었다. 미국 내 79만 개의 등록 레스토랑 중 작년에 문을 닫은 식당은 153,000개로 같은 기간에 문을 연 159,000개와 거의 일치했다.

According to Rep. Park Sung-hoon of the ruling People Power Party, out of 11.46 million private business operators who filed tax returns in 2022, 75 percent reported that they earned less than 1 million won ($755) per month on average.
여당인 국민의힘 박성훈 의원에 따르면, 2022년 세금 신고서를 제출한 민간 사업자 1,146만 명 중 75%가 월 평균 100만원(755달러) 미만의 소득을 올렸다고 답했다.

Statistics Korea said the number of sole proprietors in July was 5.72 million, down by 62,000 from the previous year and a reduction in six consecutive months.
통계청은 7월 개인사업자 수가 572만명으로 전년 대비 62,000명 감소하고 6개월 연속 감소했다고 밝혔다.

A market in Seoul is seen vacant as tenants who used to sell seafood have shut down businesses, Aug. 19. Yonhap 수산물을 팔던 세입자들이 사업을 중단하면서 서울의 한 시장이 텅 비어 있는 모습, 8월 19일. 연합

The overall card payment records in Seoul's key commercial sectors show that more consumers are spending less than before. According to market tracker Nicezinidata, 15 out of the city's 30 biggest commercial markets have seen a year-on-year decrease in card payments.
서울의 주요 상업 부문의 전반적인 카드결제 기록에 따르면 이전보다 더 많은 소비자가 지출을 줄이고 있는 것으로 나타났다. 시장 추적기 Nicezinidata에 따르면, 서울의 30대 상업 시장 중 15개 시장에서 카드 결제가 전년 대비 감소했다.

The neighborhood of Hongik University saw a 51 billion won decline, while the Sinsa area saw a drop of 40.2 billion won, the Sillim area recorded a decrease of 37.8 billion won, and the Gangnam area of 24.5 billion won.
홍익대 인근은 510억원 감소했고 신사 지역은 402억원, 신림 지역은 378억원, 강남 지역은 245억원 감소를 기록했다.

These figures stand in stark contrast to the previous year, when 29 out of the 30 hotspots experienced year-on-year increases.
이러한 수치는 30개 핫스팟 중 29개 핫스팟이 전년대비 증가한 것과는 극명한 대조를 이룬다.

An area in Seoul's Jung District, Hwanghak-dong, known for its secondhand furniture and kitchen supply sellers, is also witnessing the signs of recession.
중고가구와 주방용품 판매업체로 유명한 서울 중구 황학동의 한 지역도 불황 조짐을 보이고 있다.

Many of the secondhand furniture sellers in the area stopped bringing in new items as they are seeing a decrease in sales. Some said their sales have dropped to one-third of their sales during the COVID-19 pandemic.
이 지역의 중고가구 판매자 중 상당수는 매출이 감소함에 따라 새 상품 반입을 중단했다. 일부는 코로나19 팬데믹 기간 동안 매출이 3분의 1 수준으로 떨어졌다고 말했다.

"We've been selling used furniture since 1987, but I've never seen a worse year," one of the sellers said. "More than 10 sellers have closed for good. We're also shutting ours down this month."
한 판매자는 "1987년부터 중고 가구를 판매해 왔지만 이보다 더 나쁜 해는 본 적이 없다," 라고 말했다. "10명 이상의 판매자가 영원히 문을 닫았다. 이번 달에는 우리도 문을 닫을 예정이다."

Amid the recession, retail chains and franchise companies known for affordable prices have seen soaring sales.
경기침체로 인해 저렴한 가격으로 유명한 소매 체인점과 프랜차이즈 기업의 매출이 급증하고 있다.

Daiso, a dollar-store chain, last year saw 3.41 trillion won in sales and achieved an operating profit of 261.7 billion won. The company has never seen its sales over 3 trillion won before.
저가 스토어 체인인 다이소는 작년에 3조 4,100억 원의 매출을 기록했으며 2,617억 원의 영업이익을 달성했다. 다이소는 지금까지 3조 원이 넘는 매출을 본 적이 없었다.

Japanese-style pub, or "izakaya," franchises that offer drinks at an affordable price, with some offering a pint of beer for only 1,900 won, have become popular as well. Some of these franchises established less than a year ago have already seen the number of their franchisees reach 160 in numbers in six months or 170 in nine months.
저렴한 가격에 맥주 1파인트를 단돈 1,900원에 제공하는 일본식 펍, 즉 '이자카야'도 인기를 끌고 있다. 설립된 지 1년도 채 되지 않은 프랜차이즈 중 일부는 이미 가맹점 수가 6개월 만에 160개, 9개월 만에 170개에 달한다.

#soleproprietors자영업자 #low-pricedchains저가체인점 #signsofrecession불황조짐 #secondhandfurniture중고가구 #affordableprices저렴한가격 #dollar-storechain저가스토어체인 #shutdown폐업 #franchisecompanies프랜차이즈기업 #secondhandfurniture중고가구