Emergency Disaster Relief Fund Donations Total '28.8 Billion Won'... 0.2% of Total Budget

Disaster Relief Fund 'Donation' Choice Raises Total of 28.8 Billion KRW
Unapplied 'Deemed Donations' to Be Counted After the 18th of Next Month
Labor Welfare Promotion Fund Donations Reach 2.1 Billion KRW

On the first day of on-site applications for the emergency disaster relief fund provided by the government to all citizens due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a citizen is waiting for consultation regarding the emergency disaster relief fund at the Woori Bank Euljiro branch in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 18th. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The total amount of donations collected over two months from the emergency disaster relief funds provided by the government has been tallied at 28.8 billion KRW, which is 0.2% of the total budget.

According to the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service under the Ministry of Employment and Labor on the 21st, the total donations collected from May 11, when applications for the emergency disaster relief funds began, to July 10, a period of two months, amounted to 28.811 billion KRW. The number of donation cases totaled approximately 156,000.

This amount corresponds to 0.2% of the total budget of 14.2448 trillion KRW secured by the government for COVID-19.

When distributing the emergency disaster relief funds, the government allowed recipients to donate. Donations are classified into 'solicited donations,' where recipients donate after receiving the funds, and 'deemed donations,' where if the recipient does not apply within three months of the application, it is considered a donation. Deemed donations can be tallied after the application period ends on the 18th of the following month.

As of July 5, the unspent amount of the emergency disaster relief fund budget was 568.4 billion KRW, and even when combined with the total donations, it is expected to account for only about 4% of the total support fund budget.

The donations are incorporated into the Employment Insurance Fund and used for maintaining employment and creating jobs for citizens facing difficulties due to COVID-19.

Meanwhile, the donations to the Workers' Welfare Promotion Fund, which the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service has been accepting since May 11, amounted to 2.123 billion KRW as of the 10th. This amount includes salaries returned by senior government officials. Donations collected in the Workers' Welfare Promotion Fund are used to support vulnerable groups facing livelihood difficulties.

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