Pohang City, Accepting Applications for Energy Vouchers to Support Vulnerable Groups with 'Cool Summers, Warm Winters'

Expansion of Energy Voucher Support Amount and Introduction of Early Use

Energy Voucher.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongguk Lee] Pohang City has been accepting applications for the energy voucher program, which provides government support for energy costs to vulnerable groups, at the administrative welfare centers in the applicant's registered residential area from May 25 to December 30.

The 'Energy Voucher' system, first introduced in 2015, initially supported only winter energy costs for low-income households. However, since 2019, a summer voucher was also established to assist low-income households struggling with heatwaves, thereby supporting energy costs during both summer and winter seasons.

The summer voucher is provided as a deduction on electricity bills, while the winter voucher can be applied as a deduction on bills for electricity, city gas, district heating, kerosene, LPG, or coal briquettes, or through the National Happiness Card.

Eligible applicants must meet both income criteria and household member characteristics. Those receiving livelihood or medical benefits under the National Basic Livelihood Security Act, where the applicant or household member is an elderly person (born on or before December 31, 1957), an infant (born on or after January 1, 2016), a person with disabilities, a pregnant woman (currently pregnant or within six months postpartum), a patient with a severe illness, a patient with a severe intractable disease, a patient with a rare disease, a single-parent family, or a child-headed household, may apply.

The support amounts have increased compared to last year and are provided according to household size as follows: ▲1-person household 103,500 KRW (summer 7,000 KRW, winter 96,500 KRW) ▲2-person household 146,500 KRW (summer 10,000 KRW, winter 136,500 KRW) ▲3-person household 184,500 KRW (summer 15,000 KRW, winter 169,000 KRW) ▲4-or-more-person household 209,000 KRW (summer 15,000 KRW, winter 194,000 KRW). The summer voucher can be used from July 1 to September 30, and the winter voucher from October 12 to April 30 of the following year.

Unused summer voucher balances can be carried over to the winter voucher. Additionally, an early use system has been introduced, allowing eligible households to apply to use up to 45,000 KRW of the winter voucher during the summer period.

For more details, please visit the Energy Voucher website or contact the call center.

A Pohang City official stated, “We will strive to increase application rates through continuous promotion and enhance usage and monitoring for recipients to provide a cool summer and warm winter to energy-vulnerable groups in the region.”

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