Lee Jae-myung "Disaster Relief Fund to be Paid Combined for 18 Cities and Counties"... Website Opens at 3 PM on the 9th

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Among the 31 cities and counties in Gyeonggi Province, residents of 18 cities and counties including Yongin will be able to simultaneously apply for the Gyeonggi Province-type disaster basic income (100,000 KRW per person) and the disaster income provided by their respective cities and counties starting from 3 p.m. on the 9th.

However, for residents of 12 cities and counties including Suwon, the application for Gyeonggi Province disaster income will be available from 3 p.m. on the 9th, but the disaster income provided by their own cities and counties must be applied for separately and received later, as legal procedures such as council approval have not been completed.

Also, among the 31 cities and counties in the province, Namyangju, which decided to provide disaster income only to citizens meeting certain criteria rather than all citizens, will only be able to apply for the 100,000 KRW Gyeonggi disaster income during this application period.

Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung held a briefing at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government on the 8th and said, "We announced on the 1st that applications for disaster basic income (from Gyeonggi Province and each city and county) will be accepted starting tomorrow (the 9th)." He added, "In the meantime, 30 out of the 31 cities and counties in the province have decided to provide disaster basic income separately based on their own resources."

Governor Lee also said, "The timing of payments by city and county varies due to various reasons, including some places where legal procedures in local councils have not been completed," and added, "We have decided to combine and pay the Gyeonggi-type disaster basic income only in the 18 cities and counties where payment procedures have already been completed."

He further stated, "It would be ideal for all cities and counties in the province to participate and pay simultaneously, but considering the urgency of the disaster situation caused by COVID-19, we have unavoidably decided to first combine and pay only in the cities and counties where legal procedures have been completed so far." He added, "Residents of the remaining cities and counties can receive the disaster basic income provided by Gyeonggi Province first and then receive the basic income provided by their residential city or county later."

The method of payment for the Gyeonggi disaster basic income announced by Governor Lee on this day includes two types: Gyeonggi local currency cards and credit cards, and prepaid cards.

◇ Gyeonggi Local Currency Cards and Credit Cards Can Be Used First and Then Deducted

First, the Gyeonggi local currency card and credit card method allows users to select one of the local currency cards they usually use or one of the credit cards from 13 first-tier financial institutions, use it, and then automatically deduct 100,000 KRW from the amount used that meets the local currency usage requirements.

Users of local currency or credit cards can verify their status as Gyeonggi residents on the 'Gyeonggi Province Disaster Basic Income Homepage' opening on April 9, and enter the information of the local currency card or credit card they want to receive the disaster basic income on. For local currency, 100,000 KRW will be charged within two days of application along with an approval text message. For credit cards, deduction begins once the completion message is received.

Gyeonggi Province has completed consultations with 13 card companies including Hana, Woori, Kookmin, Shinhan, Samsung, BC, Lotte, Suhyup, Nonghyup, IBK, Citibank Korea, SC First Bank, and Hyundai. When disaster basic income is used with the applied credit card, a usage confirmation text message will be sent within 3 to 5 days.

◇ If You Do Not Have a Gyeonggi Local Currency Card or Credit Card, Apply for a Prepaid Card Charged with 100,000 KRW

If you do not have a credit card or find it difficult to use one, you can receive the disaster basic income in the form of a prepaid card charged with 100,000 KRW per person.

Prepaid cards can be applied for starting from the 20th by visiting the administrative welfare center of your resident registration address's eup/myeon/dong or the nearest Nonghyup branch with your ID. When applying for a prepaid card, one family member can receive the card on behalf of other family members with their authorization without a separate power of attorney. However, if someone falsely claims authorization and receives the basic income for other family members, they will be punished for forgery and use of private documents and fraud.

To avoid congestion during this process, the province has divided the application period according to household size and birth year.

Accordingly, ▲Week 1 (April 20?26) is for households of 4 or more members ▲Week 2 (April 27?May 3) for 3-member households ▲Week 3 (May 4?10) for 2-member households ▲Week 4 (May 11?17) for single-person households or those who missed previous applications. Additionally, the mask day system is applied, designating application days based on the last digit of the birth year. For example, on Monday of Week 1, residents born in years ending with 1 or 6 in households of 4 or more can apply, and on Tuesday of Week 2, residents born in years ending with 2 or 7 in 3-member households can apply.

Residents who miss applying for prepaid cards during the designated week can apply at eup/myeon/dong administrative welfare centers on Saturdays and Sundays. To accommodate workers, administrative welfare centers accept applications until 8 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. Nonghyup branches accept applications from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. From May 18 onward, applications can be made regardless of household size during normal weekday business hours at eup/myeon/dong administrative welfare centers or Nonghyup.

Payments are consolidated into one prepaid card per household; for example, a 4-person household will receive a prepaid card charged with 400,000 KRW. A 5-person household can have up to 500,000 KRW charged, and households with 6 or more members must receive two cards. This disaster basic income is a one-time payment with no additional charging possible. Note that lost cards cannot be reissued.

The province plans to provide on-site issuance of prepaid cards for vulnerable groups such as the elderly or disabled who have difficulty visiting administrative welfare centers or Nonghyup. Preparations are underway to start this on-site issuance service from mid-May.

◇ Validity Period Is 3 Months from the Date of Issuance, but All Must Be Used by August 31

Governor Lee clearly defined eligible recipients as Gyeonggi residents who have been registered in Gyeonggi Province continuously from before midnight on March 23, 2020, the day before the disaster basic income payment plan announcement, until the application date. In particular, if the mother is a Gyeonggi resident, children born by the application date, even if they were fetuses before the 23rd, will also receive the basic income.

The application period for the credit card method is from April 9 to April 30, with a validity period of 3 months. The prepaid card application period is from April 20 to July 31, also with a 3-month validity period, but those applying in June or July must use the card by August 31.

The places where the income can be used are the same as existing local currency usage locations, which are businesses with annual sales under 1 billion KRW located in the resident registration address city or county. It cannot be used at large department stores, large marts, corporate supermarkets, entertainment businesses, gambling establishments, or franchise directly operated stores.

The disaster basic income can be received concurrently with child-rearing support allowances, youth basic income, unemployment benefits, etc., and is not included in the income calculation for basic livelihood security recipients. Disaster basic income additionally provided by cities and counties is paid separately from the Gyeonggi disaster basic income.

Governor Lee said, "The fight against infectious diseases is a race against time. Now, while doing well is important, doing it quickly is even more important," and urged, "Please actively participate in quickly using the Gyeonggi disaster basic income within the designated period to overcome the immediate crisis."