Gangdong-gu, First Seoul District to Provide Special COVID-19 Support Fund for Low-Income Workers

COVID-19 Support Fund: 300,000 KRW per Low-Income Worker in Blind Spots... Online Applications (Dec 12-18) and On-Site (Dec 19-30)

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Gangdong-gu (District Mayor Lee Jeong-hoon·photo) is the first autonomous district in Seoul to provide the 'COVID-19 Special Support Fund for Low-Income Workers' for simple labor workers who have been excluded from COVID-19 support policies.

This aims to support low-income workers who are not only experiencing worsened living conditions due to decreased income but are also excluded from government and local government COVID-19 support policies, thereby addressing policy blind spots.

The support target is wage workers engaged in simple labor work registered as residents of Gangdong-gu whose income has decreased due to COVID-19, and 300,000 KRW per person (per household basis) will be provided in Gangdong Bitsal Money (a rechargeable prepaid card-type local currency).

The criteria for the special support fund are as follows: ▲ Wage workers related to Article 5 of the Minimum Wage Act ([examples] building cleaners, security guards, kitchen assistants, corporate taxi drivers (contract system), etc.) ▲ Those who have continuously worked 20 hours or more per week for more than 3 months before COVID-19 ▲ Those whose income has decreased by 25% or more compared to before COVID-19 ▲ Those registered as residents of Gangdong-gu before September 1, 2020 ▲ Households with income below 100% of the median income. However, those who have received related support funds from Seoul City or the national government (such as the first round of Emergency Employment Stability Support Fund) or unemployment benefits, or direct lineal relatives of the business owner (including spouse) are excluded from the support fund.

The application period for the support fund is from the 12th to the 30th.

Online applications (email applications from the 12th to the 18th) and on-site applications (from the 19th to the 30th at the Gangdong-gu COVID-19 Low-Income Workers Special Support Center (58, Cheonho-daero 175-gil, Gangdong-gu), with a 5-day rotation by birth year for on-site visits) will be conducted simultaneously.

Lee Jeong-hoon, Mayor of Gangdong-gu, stated, “There are people excluded from support policies due to the COVID-19 situation. We are continuously preparing supplementary policies to ensure there are no such people,” and added, “I hope this will help stabilize the livelihoods of Gangdong-gu residents who are experiencing difficulties in economic activities.”

Detailed information on eligibility criteria and required documents can be found on the Gangdong-gu website after the 6th.

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