Dental Treatment and Moving Expense Support Popular in 'Gangdong-style Emergency Welfare'

Gangdong-gu Expands Support Targets by Establishing New Crisis Reasons Not Covered by Existing Laws and Systems

Lee Jeong-hoon, Mayor of Gangdong-gu, is visiting residents in need of care, listening to their stories on site, and offering warm encouragement.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Gangdong-gu (Mayor Lee Jeong-hoon) is promoting the ‘Gangdong-type Emergency Welfare’ to protect vulnerable households that are not supported by the current emergency welfare system.

The emergency welfare system is designed to quickly provide living expenses and other support to low-income households facing difficulties due to sudden crises such as the death, illness, or disappearance of the primary income earner responsible for the household’s livelihood.

Accordingly, Gangdong-gu has added and newly established additional emergency support reasons so that more vulnerable households can receive assistance through its unique ‘Gangdong-type Emergency Welfare’ program.

The support under ‘Gangdong-type Emergency Welfare’ includes providing up to 1 million KRW for dental treatment to vulnerable individuals under 65 years old suffering from severe complications such as eating disorders caused by extreme periodontal disease, and 300,000 KRW for moving expenses to vulnerable households living in rental housing with a deposit of 60 million KRW or less and monthly rent of 500,000 KRW or less.

Additionally, in cases where temporary housing is needed due to fire or natural disasters, emergency disaster support provides housing expenses up to 1 million KRW per household.

The eligibility criteria for ‘Gangdong-type Emergency Welfare’ are households with income below 85% of the median income (1-person household standard: 1.49 million KRW), assets below 257 million KRW, and financial assets below 10 million KRW. Emergency support decisions are made through case management meetings at local community service centers. ‘Gangdong-type Emergency Welfare’ is supported in connection with the Seoul-type emergency welfare system and the Community Chest of Korea.

Mayor Lee Jeong-hoon of Gangdong-gu stated, “There are various systems for households in crisis, but many residents do not receive the help they truly need.” He added, “We will strive to prevent welfare blind spots by realizing ‘Gangdong-type Emergency Welfare’ tailored to the welfare needs of each vulnerable household.”

Gangdong-gu is actively identifying marginalized neighbors in welfare blind spots, such as households at risk of solitary death and housing-vulnerable groups, together with local residents. For identified vulnerable households, public support such as the Basic Livelihood Security System and emergency welfare is prioritized. Households facing complex difficulties are selected as integrated case management targets and provided with customized integrated services or linked with private resources for home visits, sponsorship goods, and other support.

If you have any questions about ‘Gangdong-type Emergency Welfare’ or know neighbors in need, please contact the Gangdong-gu Welfare Policy Division (☎3425-5642) or your nearest community service center.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.