Government Emergency Disaster Relief Fund, 65.7% Distributed... 14.26 Million Households Receive 8.9 Trillion Won

99.8% of Vulnerable Groups Eligible for Cash Support

The government's emergency disaster relief fund credit and debit card recharge application began at 7 a.m. on the 11th through the websites of nine card companies. Similar to the public mask 5-day rotation system, a day-of-the-week system is applied for applications, and from the 16th, applications can be made at any time. The support fund amounts are 400,000 won for single-person households, 600,000 won for two-person households, 800,000 won for three-person households, and 1,000,000 won for households of four or more. The photo shows a citizen visiting a community center in Jongno-gu, Seoul, looking at the support fund information notice on that day. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] It has been revealed that 65.7% of all households in South Korea applied for and received the government’s emergency disaster relief fund in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on the 18th, as of the previous day, a total of 14.26 million households received the emergency disaster relief fund, amounting to 8.9122 trillion KRW.

This accounts for 65.7% of the total eligible 21.71 million households and 62.6% of the total emergency disaster relief fund budget of 14.2448 trillion KRW.

During the week from the 11th to the 17th, 14.401 million households applied for the fund via credit or debit card recharge, totaling 7.6117 trillion KRW.

Earlier, starting from the 4th, cash payments were made to households receiving basic livelihood security benefits, basic pensions, and disability pensions, with 2.859 million households, representing 99.8% of the eligible recipients, having received 1.3005 trillion KRW.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety explained, "65.7% of all eligible households and 62.6% of the total support budget have been disbursed," adding, "For some households among the cash payment recipients who have not yet received the funds, we will expedite payments through corrections of account errors."

The ministry expects that, with offline applications through bank counters linked to card companies starting today and the distribution of local gift certificates and prepaid card disaster relief funds through eup/myeon/dong community service centers beginning, most households will complete their applications and receive payments within this month.

Additionally, considering the purpose of this emergency disaster relief fund, measures will be taken to minimize blind spots in fund distribution and ensure equitable benefits. This includes allowing households where the head of household has difficulty applying, households undergoing divorce litigation, and those who moved to another region after March 29 to use the funds through appeals and other means.

Acts such as individuals cashing out the emergency disaster relief funds or merchants applying discriminatory treatment compared to other payment methods will be punished according to relevant laws.

To ensure that the emergency disaster relief funds are fully used by the end of August to achieve the goal of revitalizing the local economy, each local government will actively encourage usage, and call centers and responsible officials will continue to receive training on handling civil complaints.

The government has instructed that online applications be guided for those quarantined due to COVID-19, and that thorough quarantine measures, including disinfection and provision of hygiene supplies, be strictly observed at community centers and other places where offline applicants gather.

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