Jeonbuk Province Significantly Expands Special Livelihood Support for COVID-19 Vulnerable Groups

Jeonbuk Provincial Government Office building. Photo by Jeonbuk Province

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Tae-in] The Jeonbuk Province announced on the 8th that it will significantly relax the support criteria for vulnerable groups in blind spots, such as unpaid leave workers at businesses affected by COVID-19, special-type workers (hereinafter referred to as "special workers"), and freelancers.

This measure aims to help more residents receive living expenses support, as some residents who are struggling financially due to COVID-19 have been unable to receive support because of strict criteria.

After implementing the project last month, Jeonbuk Province found that many applicants were disqualified during the eligibility review. Analysis revealed that the main reasons were failure to meet the criterion of 80% or less of the median income and the issue of non-overlapping with various disaster relief funds.

Subsequently, the province requested the Ministry of Employment and Labor, which holds the decision-making authority on these issues, to relax the eligibility and criteria requirements. This led to the approval of the project plan revision, and the province revised and implemented its own project plan accordingly.

With the newly relaxed support criteria, the "Living Expense Support Project for Unpaid Leave Workers at COVID-19 Affected Businesses" can provide up to 1 million KRW over two months (500,000 KRW per month) to workers at businesses with fewer than 50 employees located in the province, where operations were suspended or production (sales) decreased due to the spread of COVID-19, and who have taken unpaid leave for five or more days per month.

The previous criterion, which only supported businesses with fewer than five employees, has been significantly relaxed. Additionally, the support method changed from a proportional payment of 25,000 KRW per day of unpaid leave to a fixed payment of 500,000 KRW per month for unpaid leave of five days or more.

The eligibility criterion for recipients has been expanded from 100% or less of the median household income to 150% or less (2,636,000 KRW per month for a single-person household).

Proof of income can be confirmed through health insurance premium payment statements, and unpaid leave workers who are not enrolled in employment insurance can also receive support if they provide evidence such as a bankbook copy in their name.

Applicants who have already submitted their applications will be automatically included upon document supplementation, and those who were previously disqualified can reapply to the city or county if they meet the revised criteria.

The "Support Project for Special-Type Workers and Freelancers in Blind Spots Due to COVID-19" provides living expenses of 500,000 KRW per month for two months (totaling 1 million KRW) to freelancers and others not enrolled in employment insurance who have experienced a reduction of 25% or more in monthly income and have worked five or more days per month.

The eligibility criterion has been expanded from 80% or less of the median income (1,405,755 KRW per month for a single-person household) to 150% or less (2,636,000 KRW per month for a single-person household). Proof of income can be submitted via health insurance premium payment confirmation and payroll statements (such as bankbook copies).

Recipients of this regional employment special support project can receive overlapping benefits with disaster relief funds directly provided by city or county governments and government disaster relief funds, as well as support for lower-income groups.

However, overlapping receipt with existing Ministry of Employment and Labor supports such as unemployment benefits and employment retention subsidies is not allowed. Applications can be made in different months for emergency welfare living expenses from the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

Details such as the number of recruits, eligibility, and support amounts for each project will be re-announced through the province and city/county websites with the revised project plan. Detailed information can be confirmed on the city/county websites.

Na Seok-hoon, Head of the Jeonbuk Province Job Economy Headquarters, said, "Based on the relaxed criteria, we will provide more support to vulnerable groups in blind spots of the employment safety net, such as unpaid leave workers, private tutors, and designated drivers, who face great difficulties responding to the COVID-19 crisis. This will help eliminate blind spots and contribute to overcoming COVID-19 for our residents." He added, "We will promptly provide support starting this month to offer practical help for livelihood stabilization."

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