Vice Chairman Kim Soyoung of the Financial Services Commission met with officials from related organizations and microfinance support center on March 27 and held talks on the provision of debt workout assistance made available for small merchants and self-employed business owners under the new start fund program. The government-sponsored debt workout program has been in place since October 2022 and the scope of partnership organizations and its eligibility criteria have been expanded since then to make assistance available for a broader group of businesses. In this regard, Vice Chairman Kim underscored the significance of backstop provided by this program for small merchants and self-employed business owners who are struggling to restart or regain footing. Prior to the meeting, Vice Chairman Kim took time to visit a business that has been able to continue to operate despite pandemic-era difficulties with assistance provided by the debt workout program.