Haenam County Eases High Oil Price Woes with Relief Grants of up to 600,000 Won

Differentiated Grants for Bottom 70% Income Bracket Starting April 27
"Two-Track" and Weekday-Based Application System to Prevent Congestion

Haenam County in South Jeolla Province has rolled up its sleeves to overcome the high oil price crisis caused by instability in the Middle East. The county plans to breathe new life into the local economy by urgently providing a “High Oil Price Relief Grant” of up to 600,000 won per household for the bottom 70% income bracket of county residents.

According to Haenam County on April 21, the grant is intended for households with their resident registration in the county as of March 30 and whose income falls into the bottom 70%. The county has further strengthened its support network, taking into account its special designation as a population decline area.

Panoramic View of Haenam County Office

The amount of support varies by household: 600,000 won for basic livelihood security recipients, 500,000 won for the next-lowest income bracket, and 250,000 won for other eligible recipients, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of the policy. A notable feature is the “two-track” application system, designed to minimize administrative confusion and bottlenecks at service counters.

The first round of applications (April 27 to May 8) will prioritize vulnerable groups, while the second round (May 18 to July 3) will include the rest of the bottom 70% income group and anyone who did not apply in the first round. To prevent crowds at the start of the application period, a weekday-based system according to the last digit of the applicant’s birth year will be implemented in advance (first round: April 27-30, second round: May 18-22). The method for receiving the grant has been tailored for the convenience of county residents.

Residents can freely choose between recharging their credit or debit cards or receiving the Haenam Love Gift Certificate. Online applications are available 24 hours a day during the designated period, while offline applications (at local township offices and designated banks) can be made during regular weekday business hours.

To ensure the grant fulfills its original purpose of reviving struggling local businesses, usage is limited to local small businesses with annual sales of 3 billion won or less and Haenam Love Gift Certificate affiliated stores (excluding policy affiliates). The deadline for using the grant is August 31, and any unused amount after the deadline will be automatically recovered by the county.

Meanwhile, Haenam County is also focusing its administrative efforts on blocking smishing (text message phishing scams) that could exploit the grant payment process.

A county official stated, “Public institutions and credit card companies will never include internet links in notification messages, so residents should be especially cautious,” adding, “We will do our utmost to ensure this grant eases the burden of high oil prices and serves as a catalyst to revitalize the local economy.”

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