Application and Payment of Active Duty Soldiers National Support Fund Made More Convenient... Implemented by Each Unit and Local Government

Diversification of Application and Payment Methods for Military Personnel Receiving National Support Funds

On the 6th, when the application process for the 'COVID-19 Coexistence National Support Fund' began, a notice regarding the use of the support fund was posted at an Emart24 convenience store in Seongdong-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Active-duty soldiers fulfilling their military service obligations will be able to apply for and receive the COVID-19 coexistence national support fund more easily.

On the 7th, the government announced that it will implement a more convenient application and payment plan for the national support fund for soldiers at each unit and local government. Last year’s emergency disaster relief fund was applied for and received by the head of the household on behalf of the entire household, but this time, the national support fund will be applied for and received individually by each adult, so soldiers who are not heads of households must apply directly.

Accordingly, the government has prepared various measures considering the special circumstances where it may be difficult for soldiers to apply in person or through a proxy. First, soldiers can write a power of attorney and send it by mail to a proxy, who can then visit the community service center to apply for the soldier’s support fund on their behalf, using the same method as the general public. Soldiers can also directly apply for and use the national support fund with their own credit or debit cards.

However, considering the restricted mobility characteristics of soldiers during service, additional measures have been prepared to partially relax the requirements for proxy applications. Taking into account the difficulty of exchanging original powers of attorney by mail between soldiers and their families, the application process has been improved to allow substitution with a photographed image of the power of attorney instead of the original document.

Meanwhile, considering single-person households or soldiers who find proxy applications difficult due to unavoidable circumstances, postal applications will be exceptionally permitted. When a soldier applies for the national support fund by mail to the local city or county office of their address, if eligible, the local government will send paper-type local love gift certificates by registered mail, enabling the soldier to receive the national support fund directly.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety will guide local governments on specific procedures and forms, and the Ministry of National Defense also plans to actively share this information with each unit. Deputy Minister Ko Gyu-chang of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said, “We will do our best to ensure that active-duty soldiers fulfilling their military service obligations and their families do not experience inconvenience in the process of applying for and receiving the national support fund.”

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