Jinju City Eases Basic Livelihood Security Recipient Criteria... Discovering New Welfare Beneficiaries

Expansion of Welfare Benefits for Vulnerable Groups through Abolition of Support Obligation Criteria for Elderly and Single-Parent Households

Jinju City Hall Exterior View

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] Jinju City, Gyeongnam Province, announced on the 2nd that it has identified 204 households as new beneficiaries who had not previously received benefits, following the abolition of the support obligation criteria for basic livelihood security recipients starting this year.

From this year, households including elderly or single-parent families can receive livelihood benefits regardless of whether they have a support obligation, as long as the recipient’s own income and assets meet the criteria.

However, this does not apply if the support obligor has a high income of 100 million KRW per year (8.34 million KRW per month) or assets exceeding 900 million KRW excluding financial assets.

Jinju City held an intensive publicity period in January and guided applications through mail, phone calls, and home visits targeting elderly people aged 65 or older and single-parent households who are practically struggling. As a result, 984 households applied, a 6.5-fold increase compared to 150 households last year.

Among them, 204 households were designated as new beneficiaries. The remaining 713 cases are currently under investigation, so the number of recipients receiving minimum livelihood support is expected to increase further. Jinju City has secured a budget of 40.7 billion KRW for this year, an increase of 4.7 billion KRW compared to last year.

Basic livelihood security recipients can receive cash benefits of up to 548,000 KRW for a single-person household, 926,000 KRW for a two-person household, 1,195,000 KRW for a three-person household, and 1,462,000 KRW for a four-person household. They are also eligible for discounts on electricity, mobile communication, city gas, district heating, as well as benefits such as energy vouchers and the Munhwa Nuri Card.

A city official stated, "The relaxation of the basic livelihood security criteria is expected to expand support for vulnerable groups, guarantee minimum living standards, and somewhat alleviate welfare blind spots. We will continue to actively promote awareness to ensure that no vulnerable group misses out on benefits due to lack of information."

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