Homeplus suspended operations across all its stores nationwide starting on the 13th, but a considerable number of in-store tenants are still continuing their business inside.<br />

Expectations arose as the rehabilitation court decided today (the 21st) to resume the rehabilitation procedures for Homeplus.<br />

[(Has the mood improved?) Customers love it. The atmosphere has completely changed. We were about to pack up, but we are not packing up our (products) anymore.]<br />

However, there is a stark difference in stance among suppliers who need to fill their empty shelves ahead of the resumption of operations next month.<br />

Kim, a clothing company representative, is left holding 1 billion won worth of exclusive apparel jointly planned with Homeplus without being able to deliver them.<br />

[Homeplus Supplier Representative: These were products scheduled to be shipped this summer.]<br />

They also failed to receive 600 million won in delivery payments for the first half of this year.<br />

While thinking that receivables can only be collected if Homeplus normalizes its operations, the representative has mixed feelings about whether they should make additional deliveries.<br />

[Homeplus Supplier Representative: Isn't trust almost non-existent? They should pay a portion of the overdue payments and ask us to deliver the products that were made for Homeplus anyway.]<br />

The average unsettled payment for small and medium-sized suppliers of Homeplus stands at 774 million won. How Homeplus, which is pushing to resume operations, can restore the trust of its suppliers is an urgent task that needs to be resolved.<br />

[Lee Jeong-hee, Professor of Economics at Chung-Ang University: Since they need to be supplied with goods to maintain product competitiveness for customers to visit the stores, promises that can give a sense of trust to suppliers and tenants must be made so that operations can return to normal, and only when it normalizes can the sale proceed a bit more smoothly.]<br />

The court plans to hold a meeting of interested parties as early as the end of next month to obtain consent from creditors and others regarding the revised rehabilitation plan.<br />

Homeplus Promises 'Resumption of Operations Next Month'... Suppliers Caught in a Dilemma (July 21, 2026, D Report)<br />

(Reported by Chae Hee-sun | Produced by Bae Jun-hwi | Video edited by Kim Jong-tae | VJ: Jeong Han-wook | Produced by SBS Digital News)