Gyeonggi-do to Provide 'Opportunity Income for Disabled' to 10,000 People

Gyeonggi Provincial Government

Gyeonggi Province is expanding the number of recipients for the ‘Opportunity Income for Persons with Disabilities’ program from 7,000 to 10,000 starting this year and will begin recruiting participants from the 29th of this month.

The Opportunity Income for Persons with Disabilities program selects 10,000 individuals with ‘severe disabilities,’ distributes smartwatches to them, and provides compensation for engaging in activities lasting at least one hour, at least twice a week.

This is the first recognized case of disability value activities, which considers the reduction of social costs (such as medical and care expenses) when physical discomfort is slightly alleviated through these activities, as creating value.

Opportunity Income is one of the representative policies of the 8th Gyeonggi Province administration, designed to provide more opportunities to those who create value in society but do not receive fair compensation by supplementing their income for a certain period.

Gyeonggi Province will support 50,000 KRW per month in the first half of this year and plans to increase the amount to 100,000 KRW per month from the second half after consultations with the Ministry of Health and Welfare and social security system changes. This means a maximum of 900,000 KRW will be provided over 12 months.

Eligibility for participation includes persons with disabilities aged 13 to 64 residing in the province with an income at or below 120% of the median income.

Applications can be submitted online through Gyeonggi Civil Service 24 (gg24.gg.go.kr). Among applicants, recipients will be selected based on income and other eligibility checks, smartwatches will be distributed, and exercise goals will be set, with the first Opportunity Income payment made in March.

If applicants have severe disabilities and find online application difficult, consultations and applications can also be made at local administrative welfare centers in their residential eup, myeon, or dong. For detailed consultations and information, please refer to the announcement on the Gyeonggi Province website (gg.go.kr) or contact the dedicated ‘Opportunity Income for Persons with Disabilities’ consultation hotline at 1644-2122.

This year’s program is being implemented through the Gyeonggi Province Comprehensive Support Center for Persons with Disabilities (Nulim Center). In addition to providing Opportunity Income (support funds), the center supports persons with disabilities in setting self-directed exercise goals and activities, and further assists in supporting proactive value activities.

Additionally, Gyeonggi Province is conducting a value activity case contest titled ‘The Butterfly Effect of Opportunity Income for Persons with Disabilities’ for last year’s participants until the 15th of next month.

Heo Seung-beom, Director of the Welfare Bureau of Gyeonggi Province, stated, "We will actively discover more opportunities for persons with disabilities who have not been able to use welfare services due to lack of information, including through the Opportunity Income program. We will also strive to institutionalize the spread of value activities for a better Gyeonggi Province without discrimination between persons with and without disabilities."

Meanwhile, Gyeonggi Province plans to expand Opportunity Income to various fields such as athletes, farmers and fishermen, climate action, and child care communities to share better opportunities with more residents.

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