빈 매대 늘어난 홈플러스...'운명의 2주' 카운트 다운 / YTN

[Anchor] Two weeks have passed for Homeplus following the decision to terminate its rehabilitation proceedings. A sense of crisis is already spreading throughout the stores. While the major shareholders and creditors continue their blame game over financial support, anxiety on the ground is growing. Reporter Oh Dong-gun reports. [Reporter] A Homeplus store in Seoul. Although it is the weekend, the number of customers shopping has decreased noticeably compared to before. Homeplus private brand products are filling the shelves rather than offering a variety of other goods. [Homeplus Consumer: I used to shop here, but since the change, there is nothing left to buy.] Empty spaces are also visible in the refrigerated section, which should be filled with fresh food. It appears that the anxiety among consumers following the decision to terminate the rehabilitation proceedings is being reflected in the store atmosphere. [Homeplus Consumer: First of all, it is noticeable that deliveries are not being made properly. When I went to the ramen section, there used to be so many different kinds of ramen.] Homeplus has only two weeks left. However, the parties involved in the financing dispute are continuing a battle over responsibility rather than finding a solution. Homeplus and its major shareholder, MBK Partners, are requesting a 200 billion won loan for operating funds from Meritz Financial Group, the largest creditor. Homeplus appealed for the 200 billion won in support, stating it is regrettable that Meritz Financial Group is refusing financial assistance, claiming that the 100 billion won joint guarantee provided by Chairman Kim Byung-joo is insufficient. On the other hand, Meritz Financial maintains that it has never received any official document containing Chairman Kim's intent to provide a guarantee. Furthermore, they targeted MBK directly, claiming that the Homeplus crisis is the disastrous result of management that has been solely focused on recovering its investment over the past decade. [Jeong Cheol-jin / Economic Commentator: In the case of Meritz Financial, we first put 100 billion won into an escrow account.] [MBK and Chairman Kim Byung-joo are demanding that we invest 100 billion won, but MBK and Chairman Kim's side argues that since we jointly guaranteed the 100 billion won invested by Meritz, if we contribute that 100 billion won along with theirs, wouldn't we be bearing the entire burden?] Ultimately, with both sides shifting responsibility to one another, fundraising remains at a standstill. As time passes, the likelihood of the damage spreading to the field is growing. If it leads to bankruptcy, approximately 12,000 Homeplus employees, as well as indirectly employed personnel, could face job insecurity. It is also being raised that around 150 small and medium-sized enterprises and small business owners who have not received payment for supplies may not be able to recover an average of about 770 million won per company. The government has stepped in to provide advance payments for overdue wages, livelihood loans, and 440 billion won in support for partner companies, but the fundamental solution ultimately depends on securing operating funds. The court has left us with only two weeks. With the dispute over funding continuing unabated, no clear breakthrough in sight. Meanwhile, Homeplus's final days are rapidly passing by. This is Oh Dong-gun from YTN. Video Reporter: Koo Bon-eun Design: Jung So-hwi YTN Oh Dong-gun ([email protected]) ※ 'Your Tip Becomes News' [KakaoTalk] Search for YTN and add the channel [Phone] 02-398-8585 [Email] [email protected] ▶ Original Article: https://www.ytn.co.kr/_ln/0102_202607... ▶ Send a Tip: https://mj.ytn.co.kr/mj/mj_write.php ▣ Subscribe to YTN YouTube Channel: http://goo.gl/Ytb5SZ ⓒ YTN Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution, and use of AI data are prohibited.