Jeonnam Province Extends Deadline for City Gas Bill Payments

[Muan=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Jeonnam Province announced on the 5th that it will extend the payment deadline for city gas bills to alleviate the economic burden on small business owners and vulnerable households who have suffered due to the spread of COVID-19.

This extension is a measure in accordance with the guidelines of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and is the third payment deferral following two previous deferrals in April and September of last year. It applies until the March billing period.

The deferral targets a total of 64,000 households in Jeonnam Province, including 28,000 small business owner households, as well as vulnerable groups such as basic livelihood security recipients, persons with disabilities, national/democratic/independence merit recipients, near-poverty class, and multi-child families totaling 36,000 households.

Applications for payment deferral can be submitted from the 11th until March 31. Households eligible for residential rate reductions do not need to submit additional documents, but small business owners must prepare the customer number and business registration number listed on the city gas bill of their respective area and apply through the website or call center of the relevant city gas company.

With this deferral, the payment deadlines for city gas bills from January to March will each be extended by three months. Specifically, the January bill can be paid by the end of April, the February bill by the end of May, and the March bill by the end of June. No late fees will be charged during the extension period for unpaid bills.

Additionally, for bills with extended payment deadlines, equal installment payments are allowed until September to prevent a sudden financial burden.

Seo Sooncheol, Director of the Energy New Industry Division of Jeonnam Province, said, “With the city gas bill payment deferral measure, payments can be deferred without late fees and installment payments are now possible. This is expected to help ease the burden on small business owners and vulnerable households who have faced difficulties due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.”

Meanwhile, due to the two previous city gas bill deferral measures last year, 2,041 small business owner households and 4,909 vulnerable households including basic livelihood security recipients, persons with disabilities, and multi-child families in the province have benefited from payment deferrals and equal installment payments.

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