Gominjeong: "As Expected, Disaster Relief Fund Excluded Me... It Should Have Been Given to All Citizens"

Ko Min-jung, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Soyoung] Democratic Party lawmaker Ko Min-jung expressed regret that the currently applied 5th disaster relief fund is only being provided to the bottom 88% of income earners.

On the day, Ko appeared on YTN Radio's 'Hwang Bo-seon's Start of a New Morning' and regarding whether she applied for the 5th disaster relief fund, she said, "I hadn't tried before, but when my office staff asked me, I tried it and, unsurprisingly, I was not eligible."

When the host pointed out, "If I knew my national income ranking, I would accept not receiving it, but it seems that is not the case," Ko explained, "Since it is based on health insurance premiums, there are many suspicions that 'it is not simply about how much overall wealth that person and I have,' which leads to dissatisfaction."

She added, "Because of these issues, I strongly argued from the start that it should have been paid to all citizens," and said, "There are appeals, and I hope that relief will be provided as much as possible within a reasonable scope."

Regarding Gyeonggi Province providing disaster relief funds to all residents, she said, "Since I am a member of the National Assembly, it does not seem appropriate to interfere with what local governments do," but added, "(For those who are not Gyeonggi residents) there can be dissatisfaction. Therefore, I continue to feel regret that 'the disaster relief fund should have really been given to all citizens from the beginning.'"

Meanwhile, the national support fund is provided at 250,000 KRW per person to the bottom 80% of income earners. However, special criteria apply to single-person households and dual-income households, so 88% of the entire population will receive the support fund.

For single-person households, regardless of whether they are workplace or regional subscribers, those with health insurance premiums below 170,000 KRW in June are included in the eligibility. For two-person single-income households, workplace subscribers paying less than 200,000 KRW and regional subscribers paying less than 210,000 KRW are eligible. For four-person households, workplace subscribers paying less than 310,000 KRW and regional subscribers paying less than 350,000 KRW can receive the national support fund.

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