Seoul's 'Disaster Emergency Living Expenses' Applications Surpass 550,000 ... On-site Applications Also Accepted from the 16th

Two-Week Online and On-Site Applications... 73,300 Households Paid
Higher Application Rate and Prepaid Card Selection Among 40s and Single-Person Households

On the 31st of last month, a banner providing information about Seoul City's emergency disaster living expense support was hung on the outer wall of the Seoul Library in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] As of the 13th of this month, just two weeks after Seoul began accepting applications for the 'Disaster Emergency Living Expenses' through online and visiting reception starting from the 30th of last month, the number of applicants has exceeded 550,000. About 7,000 people applied through the visiting reception service for elderly and disabled individuals with mobility difficulties, bringing the total application amount to 191.6 billion KRW. Among these, 73,368 households have completed income verification and received support funds.

Seoul City announced that from the 16th, the day after the 21st National Assembly election, on-site reception for the Disaster Emergency Living Expenses will also begin. Applications can be submitted at all community service centers across Seoul only on weekdays (Monday to Friday) corresponding to the last digit of the applicant's birth year. The city explained that this measure aims to disperse the number of applicants and alleviate infection concerns as part of 'social distancing.'

For on-site reception, applicants must bring identification such as a resident registration card or driver's license and submit the application form along with the consent form for providing personal information. Since the consent form requires signatures from all household members, pre-filling it before visiting will enable faster processing. Similar to online applications, applicants will be notified via text message once the payment decision is made, and it takes about a week from application to payment.

Seoul City plans to deploy an additional 656 temporary workers anticipating a surge in on-site applications from citizens who had difficulty applying online. Furthermore, social workers and life managers from Seoul's three types of welfare centers (comprehensive social welfare centers, senior comprehensive welfare centers, and disability welfare centers) will be assigned to the respective community service centers to foster cooperation between the public and private sectors during this disaster crisis.

Seoul City will also dispatch a total of 249 employees from the Welfare Policy Office and Welfare Foundation to community service centers to do their best to prevent congestion and infection during the initial implementation phase. Existing online and visiting reception will continue concurrently until the 15th of next month.

Kang Byung-ho, Director of Seoul City's Welfare Policy Office, said, "Due to the government's priority issuance of prepaid cards to 'low-income temporary living support' recipients (beneficiaries and near-poor citizens) affected by COVID-19 and support work for the 21st National Assembly election, community service center personnel have been dispersed, causing some delays in fund distribution. However, from the 16th, after the election day, full-scale payments will be made," asking for applicants' understanding.

Meanwhile, looking at the online application rates for Seoul City's Disaster Emergency Living Expenses, those in their 40s had the highest online application rate at 22.6%, followed by those in their 20s at 20.3%, 50s at 20.6%, 30s at 18.0%, and 60s and above at 18.3%. Among household sizes, single-person households accounted for the largest share at 36.2% (199,749 people), followed by two-person households at 22.2%, and three to four-person households at 17.9%. By district, Gwanak-gu had the highest number of applicants with 42,000 households, followed by Gangseo-gu with 37,000, Nowon-gu with 32,000, and both Eunpyeong-gu and Songpa-gu with 31,000 households each.

Regarding the choice of support funds, 42.7% selected the 'Seoul Sarang Gift Certificate (mobile),' while 57.3% chose prepaid cards, with a slightly higher preference for prepaid cards. The city plans to further promote the use of mobile gift certificates through Zero Pay affiliated stores, as receiving funds via Seoul Sarang Gift Certificates offers an additional 10% benefit.

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