Jeongeup-si 'Citizen Safety Insurance' Plays a Vital Role as a Social Safety Net

Published 20 Jun.2022 14:38(KST)

[Jeongeup=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Jae-gil] Jeongeup City in Jeonbuk is playing a significant role as a social safety net by operating a ‘Citizen Safety Insurance’ to ensure stable living for citizens from various accidents.

According to the city on the 20th, Citizen Safety Insurance is a system where the city directly contracts with insurance companies and bears the cost to pay insurance benefits to citizens who suffer from various accidents through the insurance company.

It has been subscribed annually since 2020 to support citizens who suffer damage from disasters or other various accidents that may occur in daily life.

The insurance premium is paid in bulk by Jeongeup City without any burden on the citizens.

The subscription target is citizens and registered foreigners with resident registration in Jeongeup City, who are automatically enrolled without any separate subscription procedure.

The insurance coverage items include 13 categories such as natural disasters (including sunstroke and heatstroke), explosion, fire, collapse, landslide, public transportation accidents, robbery and murder, school zone traffic accidents, drowning, agricultural machinery accidents, infectious diseases, and dog bites.

In the case of injury sequelae disability, up to 10 million KRW is paid depending on the grade, and support can be received even if subscribed to other insurance policies.

This year, emergency room treatment expenses for death from infectious diseases and dog bite accidents were also added.

Accordingly, broader compensation has become possible, and Jeongeup citizens can receive damage compensation covered by the insurance regardless of the accident location.

However, traffic accidents, bicycle, and personal mobility device accidents are excluded.

To claim insurance benefits, the victim or legal heir must submit a claim form and required documents to the Korea Local Finance Association when the claim reason occurs.

The city plans to intensively promote detailed information about the Citizen Safety Insurance, such as coverage and claim procedures, through various media including the city website and SNS.

A city official said, “We will make further efforts to alleviate citizens’ anxiety about various disasters and accidents and to respond stably,” and “Please actively promote so that citizens do not miss out on benefits due to lack of awareness of the policy.”