Lee So-young, nominee for Minister of SMEs and Startups, said on the 8th that she would quantify the operating burdens facing small business owners and self-employed people and establish a cost-reduction roadmap if appointed. She cited high interest rates, inflation, accumulated debt and delivery-app fees, saying charges on a 20,000 Korean won order can exceed 6,000 Korean won and leave insufficient revenue to cover other expenses or the owner’s labor. Lee said she would focus on changing the cost structure, pursue coexistence measures with private delivery platforms, review low-commission delivery apps and streamline delivery-coupon spending during National Assembly budget deliberations. She also said the ministry was considering specific measures related to Homeplus. Separately, allegations have emerged that Lee and her spouse failed to pay gift tax on an interest-free 223.1 million Korean won loan made in 2022 to Lee’s mother, described in some reports as her mother-in-law, to help fund a 323 million Korean won jeonse deposit in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province. No loan agreement or promissory note was prepared and no interest was paid. Using the National Tax Service’s 4.6% recognized interest rate, Rep. Choi Soo-jin’s office estimated an annual taxable benefit of about 10.26 million Korean won, above the 10 million won threshold, and approximately 1 million won in annual gift tax at a 10% rate. Lee said supporting her economically struggling mother was her duty as a child but planned to report and pay gift tax to prevent further controversy.