Seoul City to Fully Abolish 'Support Obligation System' from May... Additional Support for 2,300 People

If Income and Property Criteria Are Met, Livelihood Benefits Provided Even with Dependents

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Starting in May, the Seoul Metropolitan Government will abolish the ‘Support Obligation System’ and provide ‘Seoul-type Basic Security’ benefits to recipients who meet income and property criteria, even if they have supporting family members such as children or grandchildren.

According to Seoul City on the 28th, following the abolition of the support obligation system for ‘households with seniors aged 75 and over’ last August, the city has expanded the scope to all households, lowering the threshold for receiving benefits. It is expected that an additional 2,300 people who were previously ineligible due to having supporting family members despite financial difficulties will now receive support.

Seoul City plans to include vulnerable groups in crisis households and blind spots in support, which have increased due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, within the social welfare safety net to provide more comprehensive assistance. Previously, after abolishing the support obligation criteria for ‘households with seniors aged 75 and over,’ Seoul identified an additional 1,875 people and provided livelihood benefits.

To prevent a tragedy similar to the one involving a mother and child in Bangbae-dong at the end of last year, Seoul City has completely reviewed the existing welfare blind spot detection and support system and announced the plan to abolish the ‘support obligation criteria’ in January this year. Subsequently, after completing the review of social security system changes by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the city has begun full implementation.

With the abolition of the support obligation criteria, if the applicant household meets the income (income evaluation amount at or below 45% of the median income) and property (household property at or below 1.35 billion KRW) selection criteria, they can receive livelihood benefits regardless of the supporting family member’s ability to provide support. However, the criteria will continue to apply if there is a high-income or high-property supporting family member (pre-tax annual income exceeding 100 million KRW or real estate exceeding 900 million KRW).

The government has also decided to abolish the support obligation criteria for basic livelihood security livelihood benefits starting in 2022. The support obligation criteria have been continuously questioned for reform, considering changes in social perceptions of support. The abolition of the support obligation criteria by Seoul City is expected to support the truly impoverished who have difficulty living but have not been protected due to the support obligation criteria. This is significant as it can promote the government’s early abolition of the support obligation criteria in the basic livelihood security system, drive government policy, and contribute to its spread to other cities and provinces.

Applications can be submitted at the local community service center of the applicant’s address starting in May. Required documents for application include the social security benefit application form and consent form for providing financial information. After submission at the community service center, the application is forwarded to the district office, where public data such as income and property are reviewed, and the result of eligibility is notified to the applicant in writing.

Kim Seon-soon, Director of Welfare Policy, said, “Reflecting the increasing number of crisis households due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, Seoul City has proactively abolished the support obligation criteria, which has been identified as a major cause of poverty blind spots.” She added, “Seoul City will continue to do its best to implement more comprehensive welfare.”

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