'Reluctantly Pushed' Suwon, Ansan, and Bucheon Cities Shift to "Disaster Basic Income Payment"

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Among the 31 cities and counties in Gyeonggi-do, Suwon, Ansan, and Bucheon, which had delayed the payment of 'disaster basic income,' have finally decided to pay 50,000 to 100,000 won to all citizens under public pressure. In particular, Ansan City decided to pay 70,000 won to foreign residents considering the local characteristics.

According to Gyeonggi-do and local governments on the 2nd, Suwon City held an emergency press conference at 2 p.m. that day and announced a plan to pay 100,000 won in disaster basic income to all citizens.

Ansan City earlier announced a disaster basic income payment plan in the morning, providing 100,000 won to Koreans and 70,000 won to foreigners. Ansan also plans to proceed with an additional government matching project.

Bucheon City plans to announce a plan to give 50,000 won per person as disaster basic income that day. Mayor Jang Deok-cheon of Bucheon had previously caused controversy by posting an article opposing disaster basic income on the internet.

Also, Guri City and Osan City are planning to pay disaster basic income to all citizens, while Namyangju City is actively considering selective payments.

Accordingly, the 31 cities and counties in the province will pay disaster basic income to all citizens or households meeting certain criteria. Residents of Gyeonggi-do will receive from 50,000 won to 2 million won, in addition to the Gyeonggi-do type disaster basic income of 100,000 won provided by the province.

However, the payment of disaster basic income has sparked controversy over 'fairness,' leading to opposition from residents in different regions. For example, Suwon City, the capital city of Gyeonggi-do, did not announce whether to pay disaster basic income until the 1st, causing many citizens to express strong dissatisfaction with Suwon city administration online.

A citizen living in Suwon said, "The amount of 50,000 or 100,000 won is not the important issue, but there was a lot of dissatisfaction about the unreasonable situation where people who pay the same taxes become beneficiaries or non-beneficiaries depending on the region they live in."