Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Local Governments, and Card Companies Sign Business Agreement to Distribute 'Emergency Disaster Relief Fund'

Online Application for Credit and Check Card Subsidies Starts from the 11th

On the 4th, when the government began distributing emergency disaster relief funds in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, an official posted a notice about the relief funds at a community center in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Priority recipients include 2.8 million households deemed in urgent need of support, such as those receiving livelihood benefits, basic pensions, or disability pensions, and the funds are provided in cash. Citizens not eligible for cash payments can choose to receive the support through credit or debit cards, paper, mobile, or card-type local gift certificates, or prepaid cards. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on the 7th that it will sign a business agreement with local governments nationwide and nine credit card companies at the Government Seoul Office on the 8th to swiftly and smoothly distribute the emergency disaster relief funds to the public.

The emergency disaster relief funds have been paid in cash to vulnerable groups since the 4th, and online applications for credit and check card recharge methods will begin on the 11th through the card companies' websites.

At the agreement ceremony, the card companies and local governments responsible for applying and distributing the emergency disaster relief funds will confirm inter-agency cooperation matters and role assignments necessary throughout the entire process and pledge to ensure smooth payment of the funds.

Currently, to distribute the emergency disaster relief funds, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety is overseeing the entire project by establishing the overall business plan, securing and allocating the budget, and supporting the construction of the work management system. Local governments finalize the recipients and payment amounts and handle offline applications and appeals.

The nine credit card companies?KB Kookmin, NH Nonghyup, Lotte, BC, Samsung, Shinhan, Woori, Hana, and Hyundai Card?will be responsible for receiving applications for emergency disaster relief funds via credit or check cards and processing the recharge payments.

Each of these institutions has agreed to use personal information only to the minimum extent necessary for distributing the emergency disaster relief funds and to manage it securely in accordance with personal information protection laws.

Minister Jin Young of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said, "The government, local governments, and the private sector (card companies) signing this agreement will cooperate to ensure the emergency disaster relief funds are distributed without any issues. We hope this will help stabilize the livelihoods of citizens facing difficulties and contribute to the recovery of the local economy through consumption promotion."

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