Ministry of Health and Welfare and KEPCO MCS Sign Agreement to Cooperate in Identifying Households in Welfare Crisis

The Ministry of Health and Welfare and KEPCO MCS signed a business agreement on November 25 at the Mapo-Yongsan branch of KEPCO MCS in Seoul to more quickly identify and support households in welfare crisis.

KEPCO MCS is an organization that operates at the closest level to people's daily lives, with approximately 3,400 meter readers visiting homes every month for electricity meter reading, delinquency management, and bill delivery, based on its 15 branches and 196 offices nationwide. During their work, meter readers play a role in protecting neighbors by reporting to local governments when they find households in need of help, such as those experiencing social isolation or financial hardship.

In April, in Jung-gu, Seoul, a meter reader from KEPCO MCS discovered a household in need while visiting a home with long-term overdue electricity bills. The meter reader requested assistance from the local government, which enabled the household to quickly receive necessary support, such as fee reductions and energy vouchers.

The government analyzes 47 types of administrative data through its blind spot detection system to identify households in crisis. However, it is difficult to monitor changes in real time, such as delinquency, isolation, or deterioration in living conditions, based solely on administrative data. This is especially true when crisis signals quietly emerge within the home, making the role of on-site contact points closely connected to daily life even more important.

The blind spot detection system is designed to proactively identify and support households in welfare crisis. It collects 47 types of crisis information from 21 organizations, such as power disconnection or health insurance premium delinquency, selects high-risk households, and provides services through local governments.

This agreement is significant in that it strengthens the "community-based welfare safety net" by connecting meter readers, who directly observe small changes in people's daily lives, with the public welfare system. When meter readers detect signs of crisis, they can immediately request assistance via the "Welfare Crisis Alert App." The reported information is quickly delivered to the local administrative welfare center, leading to on-site verification, counseling, and service support.

With this agreement, the Ministry of Health and Welfare and KEPCO MCS plan to strengthen training so that meter readers can accurately recognize crisis situations in the field, and to improve the support system to ensure smoother connections between local government counseling and services. In addition, they will identify and share best practices, expanding the public-private discovery model nationwide to build a more robust welfare safety net.

Lee Seuran, First Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, stated, "Through this agreement, we expect to be able to identify and support households in crisis more quickly at the local level, taking another step toward eliminating welfare blind spots. We will continue to do our best to work with those who are the first to notice small changes in people's daily lives, ensuring that no crisis situation goes unnoticed and that those in need are protected."

Jung Sungjin, CEO of KEPCO MCS, said, "We will continue to work together so that our employees, who perform meter reading work nationwide, can actively identify and support people in need."

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