Preventing Another Ulju Tragedy: Public Officials Can Now Apply for Basic Livelihood Support Without Consent

The government has introduced emergency measures to prevent tragic family deaths occurring in welfare blind spots. A new system, called the ‘Non-Consent Authority Application’ system, will be implemented immediately, allowing public officials to apply for basic livelihood support on behalf of individuals or families even if the person concerned or their legal guardian refuses.

Jeong Eunkyung, Minister of Health and Welfare, is speaking at the 'Meeting for Discovering and Connecting Crisis Households' held last month at Ulsan Metropolitan City Ulju County Office. Ministry of Health and Welfare.

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The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on April 15 that it has established the ‘Emergency Household Basic Livelihood Support Authority Application Procedure and Public Official Indemnity Regulation’ to swiftly support vulnerable groups in crisis situations, and that it will implement these measures within this month.

Previously, there was an authority application system for public officials, but it required the recipient’s consent and a written agreement to provide financial information. As a result, when a public official suggested support, if the person concerned refused, or if a child’s legal guardian could not be contacted, it was impossible to provide assistance. For example, in the Ulju County case, where five family members-including four minors-died, the local government designated the household as a crisis case, provided emergency support funds, and recommended applying for basic livelihood benefits. However, because consent from the recipient was not obtained, basic livelihood support was not provided.

From now on, if a household with a history of emergency welfare support includes a member, such as a minor or a person with developmental disabilities, who is unable to give consent, and it is difficult to obtain consent from a legal guardian, the responsible public official will be able to apply for basic livelihood support ex officio, without consent. The investigation of financial assets, which requires the individual's consent, will be excluded for the time being, and benefits will be determined and provided based solely on accessible income and general asset information. Minister of Health and Welfare Jung Eunkyung finalized this ‘support first, investigation later’ approach based on suggestions from local government officials, which she collected during on-site visits, and after review by the Active Administration Committee.

Protective measures have been put in place so that field officials can proactively identify eligible individuals. Financial information must be supplemented and re-investigated within three months after the application, and any overpayments made during this process will not be subject to recovery from the public official, as an indemnity regulation will be specified in the guidelines.

Additionally, as a follow-up measure to prevent abuse of the system, an agreement to provide financial information must be submitted within three months of an authority application. If not submitted, benefits will be discontinued. In terms of linking protection systems, if contact with a legal guardian continues to be unsuccessful, support will be maintained through the appointment of a guardian, in connection with the child protection system and integrated case management. A roadmap is also being implemented to establish a fundamental legal basis for the system. The government plans to amend the National Basic Living Security Act within this year to explicitly stipulate the grounds for non-consent authority applications.

Minister Jung stated, “Through these improvements to the authority application process, we believe we can provide more active and prompt assistance,” adding, “We will swiftly establish comprehensive measures to strengthen crisis household support by proactively identifying households in crisis and providing support and management tailored to each household’s characteristics, such as child care.”

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