Additional 500,000 KRW Given to 650,000 Special Workers and Freelancers... Maximum Benefit of 2,500,000 KRW (Comprehensive)

Ministry of Employment, '3rd Emergency Employment Stability Support Fund' Online and Offline Applications from 6th to 11th
For Existing 1st and 2nd Round Recipients...If No Separate Application, Payment Will Be Made to Existing Account
Payments Start from 11th...Excludes Employment Insurance Subscribers and Duplicate Receipt of Job-Seeking Allowance Not Allowed

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] Applications for the '3rd Emergency Employment Stability Support Fund' for special-type workers (STWs) such as insurance planners and door-to-door salespeople, as well as freelancers, will be available starting today (the 6th). Those who received the 1st and 2nd rounds of support can receive 500,000 KRW via bank transfer as early as the 11th without a separate review.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced that applications for the 3rd Emergency Employment Stability Support Fund will be accepted from 9 a.m. today. They plan to provide 500,000 KRW to STWs and freelancers who received the 1st and 2nd round support. If support was received from the 1st round, the total amount could reach up to 2.5 million KRW.

Online applications can be submitted through the application website until 6 p.m. on the 11th. Applicants need to access the website, verify their identity, confirm the bank account information for receiving the support fund, and then apply.

If online application is difficult, applicants can visit employment centers on the 8th and 11th with their ID and a copy of their bankbook to apply in person. Applications are accepted during business hours from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. A ministry official urged, "To prevent the spread of COVID-19, please use online applications as much as possible except in unavoidable cases."

If applicants do not have a mobile phone registered in their name or cannot verify their identity on the website due to errors in their resident registration number, they can only apply by visiting an employment center.

If no separate application is made, 500,000 KRW will be deposited into the existing account

Support funds can be received even without a separate online or offline application. If no application is made during the application period, it will be considered as applied, and the funds will be deposited into the account that previously received the emergency employment stability support fund.

However, if you need to check or change the bank account information for receiving the payment, if the payment account is seized, if the payment was previously received in an account under another person's name, or if there is any history of changing account information such as account number or account holder during the 1st or 2nd emergency employment stability support fund receipt, you must verify the account information and apply.

The support targets are those who received the 1st emergency employment stability support fund as 'STW or freelancer' type or those who newly received the 2nd emergency employment stability support fund. The ministry estimates that a total of 650,000 people will benefit, combining about 510,000 recipients from the 1st round and about 140,000 from the 2nd round. The supported occupations so far have mostly been face-to-face service industries whose income decreased due to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as insurance planners, substitute drivers, private tutors, and door-to-door salespeople.

However, only those not enrolled in employment insurance as of December 24 last year, when the year-end and New Year’s special quarantine measures were implemented, are eligible. Public officials, teachers, soldiers, and others are excluded from support.

Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Jae-gap is holding a meeting with officials on the 3rd at the COVID-19 Emergency Employment Stability Support Fund Support Group in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

Payments will begin on the 11th. Priority will be given to those who applied on the website on the 6th and 7th. The ministry plans to complete payments to all eligible recipients by the 15th at the latest. A ministry official warned, "If transfer errors occur due to account number errors or mismatched account holders, payment may be significantly delayed, so please be cautious."

Objections can be filed from the 12th to the 20th... Overlapping receipt of job-seeking allowances is not allowed

The ministry will send text messages today (the 6th) to those not selected as recipients of the 3rd support fund, explaining the reasons for non-selection. The objection period is from the 12th to the 20th of this month. If there are factual errors related to employment insurance enrollment periods or other matters regarding recipient selection, objections can be filed. Applicants can download the objection form and supporting documents from the application website and submit them to the objection board (which opens on the 12th). Objections will be reviewed collectively after the 20th, and if deemed valid, payments will be made later in bulk.

If a person participating in the National Employment Support System has received the support fund, the 500,000 KRW job-seeking promotion allowance for this month will not be paid but will start from February. The unpaid job-seeking allowance will be paid in installments during the remaining employment support service period, allowing recipients to receive the full maximum amount of 3 million KRW.

STWs and freelancers who have never received the emergency employment stability support fund before must newly apply for the 3rd support fund. Detailed information will be announced on the Ministry of Employment and Labor website on the 15th.

Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Jae-gap said, "Due to the recent 3rd wave of COVID-19, difficulties for STWs and freelancers are increasing," and added, "I hope that the 3rd Emergency Employment Stability Support Fund being implemented this time will help stabilize livelihoods even a little."

For more details about the 3rd Emergency Employment Stability Support Fund, please contact the dedicated call center (☎1899-9595) or visit the website (covid19.ei.go.kr).

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