Government Considers Expanding 'Emergency Welfare Support Recipients' with Additional Requirement Relaxations and Period Extensions
[Asia Economy Reporter Kwangho Lee] The government is considering easing the requirements and extending the period of the Emergency Welfare Support System to assist low-income groups struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On the 24th, it was reported that the government is reviewing plans to further relax the support criteria, which were temporarily eased until July 31, and to extend the deadline in the second half economic policy direction to eliminate blind spots in social inclusion.
The Emergency Welfare Support System is designed to quickly provide living expenses and other support to low-income households facing crises such as business suspension, closure, or unemployment of the main income earner responsible for livelihood.
Under normal circumstances, to receive support, income must be at or below 75% of the median income, property must be below 1.88 billion to 1.01 billion KRW depending on the region, and financial assets must be below 5 million KRW (7 million KRW for housing support).
As the COVID-19 crisis hit low-income groups, the government significantly lowered the support criteria from March until July 31.
When calculating property, deductions of 35 million to 69 million KRW are applied depending on whether the area is a metropolitan city, small or medium city, or rural fishing village. When calculating financial assets, the living expense deduction rate, which is normally 65%, is applied at 100% to account for daily living expenses.
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If selected as an Emergency Welfare Support recipient, applicants can receive support for livelihood, housing, and medical needs within 2 days of application. For a four-person household, livelihood support is up to 1.23 million KRW per month for a maximum of 6 months, and medical support is up to 3 million KRW per case (up to 2 cases). Childbirth support is 700,000 KRW, and funeral support is 800,000 KRW. Educational support and winter fuel costs can also be provided depending on the crisis household’s situation.
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