Gwangju City to Accept Emergency Disaster Relief Fund Applications Starting from the 11th

Online Application and Submission on Credit and Check Card Company Websites

Offline Applications Available from the 18th at Administrative Welfare Centers

Gwangju City Hall

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Gwangju Metropolitan City announced on the 10th that it is accepting applications for emergency disaster relief funds ranging from 400,000 KRW to a maximum of 1,000,000 KRW per household.

The eligible applicants for the emergency disaster relief funds are 538,975 households, excluding those eligible for cash payments, out of a total of 615,188 households. Applications will be accepted online starting from 7 a.m. on the 11th.

Online applications can be made through the internet or mobile websites of the credit or debit card issuing institutions that the applicant wishes to use, after verifying identity via a certified certificate. However, only cards under the name of the head of the household can be recharged, and the available usage date will be notified via text message within two days after application.

To avoid initial congestion, this application process applies a day-of-the-week system based on the last digit of the birth year, similar to the "Mask 5-day rotation system." From the weekend of the 16th, applications can be made 24 hours regardless of the day-of-the-week system.

From the 18th, the head of the household can visit banks linked to their cards to apply in person, with the 5-day rotation system also applied.

Applicants may also choose to donate. Donations can be made in increments of 10,000 KRW starting from 10,000 KRW up to the full amount of the relief fund. The donation will be used for employment stability and vocational skill development projects funded by the Employment Insurance Fund. Additionally, a 15% tax credit benefit will be provided during year-end tax settlement.

The emergency disaster relief funds charged to credit or debit cards are distinguished from existing card company points, and the amount used will be automatically deducted from the card bill.

The funds can be conveniently used throughout Gwangju city, excluding certain sectors such as department stores, large marts, online shopping malls, large electronics stores, entertainment, and gambling establishments.

The usage period is set until August 31 to revitalize the local economy, and any unused amount after the deadline will be reclaimed.

Offline applications will be available from the 18th at local administrative welfare centers. In this case, both the head of the household and their representatives can apply and receive the funds, which will be provided via a prepaid Gwangju Sangsaeng Card.

Since the emergency disaster relief funds are provided to all households, Gwangju City is concerned about significant congestion if citizens flock to administrative welfare centers all at once. Therefore, the day-of-the-week system is applied, but online applications through card company websites starting from the 11th are strongly encouraged.

To this end, Gwangju City, together with autonomous districts, is distributing application guides for all households and promoting the application methods to citizens through various media such as the Gwangju City and district websites and social network services (SNS).

Ryu Mi-su, Director of the Social Welfare Division, said, "Gwangju City is providing overlapping support of its own emergency household living expenses and the government’s emergency disaster relief funds to help citizens struggling due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. We will expedite payments as much as possible so that these funds can serve as a catalyst for the recovery of the depressed local economy."

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