33,000 Vulnerable Individuals Miss Out on Consumption Coupons Due to Policy Blind Spots

29,826 Basic Livelihood Security Recipients and 3,217 Near-Poverty and Single-Parent Households Left Out
Jin Jinsook: "The 1% Unreached by Administration... Gaps in the Delivery System"

Jin Jinsook, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker.

The first round of livelihood recovery consumption coupons, implemented to boost consumer spending and stabilize daily life, has been deemed a successful policy execution, recording a high application rate of 98.96% nationwide. However, concerns remain as it was revealed that approximately 33,000 people from socially and economically vulnerable groups were unable to apply for the coupons, highlighting persistent blind spots in the policy.

According to an analysis of the 'First Livelihood Recovery Consumption Coupon Distribution Status' report submitted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety to Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Jin Jinsook (Gwangju Buk-gu Eul) on October 13, a total of 527,563 out of 50.6 million eligible recipients did not apply. In particular, 29,826 basic livelihood security recipients and 3,217 individuals from near-poverty and single-parent households were found to have been excluded from the benefits of the livelihood recovery coupons.

By region, Gwangju and Jeonnam recorded the highest participation rates at 99.29% each, followed by Jeonbuk at 99.23%, Gyeongnam at 99.17%, and Daegu at 99.17%. In contrast, major metropolitan areas such as Seoul (98.5%) and Gyeonggi (98.9%) fell short of the national average.

The main issue is that the application rate among basic livelihood security recipients, a group facing economic hardship, was lower than the overall average. Of the 2,731,633 basic livelihood security recipients (eligible for 400,000 won each), 2,701,807 (98.91%) applied, which is below the national average of 98.96%. Notably, in Gyeongbuk, 2,321 out of 160,815 eligible recipients did not apply, resulting in the lowest application rate at 98.56%. Gangwon followed with 1,173 people not applying, yielding a rate of 98.71%.

For near-poverty and single-parent households (eligible for 300,000 won each), 369,197 out of 372,414 applied (99.14%), exceeding the overall average of 98.96%. However, Gyeongbuk (98.77%) and Gangwon (98.81%) still did not reach the average, indicating gaps in the delivery system for vulnerable groups.

Lawmaker Jin stated, "While the livelihood recovery consumption coupon policy has been widely felt as a stabilizing measure by most citizens, the fact that around 33,000 people from vulnerable groups-basic livelihood security recipients, near-poverty, and single-parent households-were unable to apply is a serious concern. We must carefully design the implementation process to ensure that socially and economically vulnerable people are not excluded, and identify the reasons for non-application to develop measures to improve the system."

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