Siheung City to Begin "High Oil Price Relief Payments" on the 27th with Dedicated Task Force in Operation

City to Prioritize First Round Payments for Vulnerable Groups
One-Stop Support from Application to Payment

Siheung City in Gyeonggi Province will begin distributing “High Oil Price Relief Payments” to citizens starting April 27, in accordance with the government’s plan to provide support in response to high oil prices.

View of Siheung City Hall. Courtesy of Siheung City

To ensure a smooth and timely distribution of the relief payments, the city has established a dedicated task force (TF) led by the Deputy Mayor and has begun making preparations. The task force, centered around the Job and Economy Division, has built a comprehensive collaboration system involving relevant departments such as Small Business Support and all 20 local Administrative Welfare Centers. Through this, the entire process from application to payment will be operated as a one-stop service to minimize inconvenience for citizens and promote both livelihood stability and local consumption.

The recipients are the bottom 70% of income earners residing in Siheung City, with priority given to basic livelihood security recipients, lower-income groups, and single-parent families. The first application and payment period runs from April 27 to May 8, while the general recipients will receive the payments in the second round from May 18 to July 3. Appeals can be submitted from May 18 to July 17.

The relief payment amount varies by recipient category. Basic livelihood security recipients will receive 550,000 won per person, lower-income groups and single-parent families will receive 450,000 won per person, and the bottom 70% of income earners will receive 100,000 won per person.

Recipients can choose to receive the relief payment through one of the following options: credit/debit card, Siheung’s local currency “Siru” (mobile), or prepaid card. The payments must be used by August 31, and any unused balance after this date will be automatically forfeited.

Applications for the relief payment can be made both online and offline. To reduce congestion during the initial week, an application schedule based on the last digit of the applicant’s birth year will be implemented.

Online applications can be submitted 24 hours a day via card company websites and mobile apps, card company call centers, and the Siru app (chak) after identity verification. However, when applying for the mobile Siru local currency, each household member must apply individually, and it is not possible for the head of household to apply on behalf of the entire household.

For offline applications, recipients can apply for credit/debit cards at the associated bank branches and for prepaid cards at each local Administrative Welfare Center.

To promote local consumption, the relief payments can only be used within the recipient’s registered local area. Credit/debit cards and prepaid cards can be used at small business establishments with annual sales of 3 billion won or less. However, those who receive the payment in Siru local currency can only use it at Siru partner stores.

Starting April 27, the city will operate application counters at each local Administrative Welfare Center and deploy on-site support staff to minimize inconvenience for citizens.

Park Seungsam, acting Mayor of Siheung, stated, "We expect that this relief payment will provide substantial support to citizens struggling with high oil prices and contribute to the recovery of sales for local small businesses."

The city anticipates that this relief payment will serve as a catalyst for both stabilizing citizens’ livelihoods and revitalizing the local economy.

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