"Small Business Owners' New Hope Fund... 18.4 Million People Receive 1.9746 Trillion Won"

77% of the 2.57 trillion KRW rapid payment target amount completed by the 29th

Photo by Ministry of SMEs and Startups

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daeseop] The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on the 30th that it has paid 1.9746 trillion KRW in New Hope Funds to 1.84 million small business owners.

This payment amount is the figure compiled from the first day of New Hope Fund applications on the 24th through the 29th. It represents 77% of the 2.57 trillion KRW allocated for the expedited payment of New Hope Funds to small business owners. The 1.84 million recipients during this period account for 76% of the 2.41 million eligible for expedited payment.

On the 29th at 2 p.m., the Ministry resent text messages to 550,000 small business owners who had not yet applied among the 2.41 million expedited payment recipients before the Chuseok holiday, guiding them to apply for the New Hope Fund.

Applications will continue to be accepted online during the afternoon of the 29th as well as throughout the Chuseok holiday. Applications received during this period are scheduled to be paid on the 5th of next month, immediately after the holiday.

Small business owners who have not yet applied can check their eligibility for expedited payment and apply by accessing the dedicated New Hope Fund website, regardless of whether they received the text message.

On the 29th, the Ministry inspected the on-site situation at the New Hope Fund call center for small business owners located in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. Deputy Minister Kang Seongcheon visited the call center and expressed gratitude for the counselors' hard work.

After the Chuseok holiday, the Ministry plans to gradually add more expedited payment recipients based on the list of specially affected industries submitted by local governments. The payment process will continue, including sending guidance text messages.

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