Jeonnam Province Extends Payment Deadlines for City Gas Fees for Small Business Owners and Vulnerable Groups

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Jeonnam Province announced on the 20th that it will extend the payment deadlines for city gas and electricity bills to alleviate the economic burden on small business owners and vulnerable households facing difficulties due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

This extension follows the guidelines of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and is the second extension following the first payment deferral implemented in April, extending the deadline until December.

First, the city gas bill payment deferral targets small business owners and vulnerable households such as basic livelihood security recipients, persons with disabilities, merit recipients, low-income households, and multi-child families.

A total of 36,000 households are eligible, including 28,000 small business owner households, 12,000 basic livelihood security recipient households, and 9,000 households of persons with disabilities within Jeonnam Province.

The payment deadline for city gas bills billed until December will be extended by three months, late fees for unpaid bills during the extension period will not be charged, and the extended bills can be paid in equal installments until June next year.

Applications for payment deferral will be accepted from the 21st until the end of the year. Households eligible for residential rate reductions do not need to submit separate documents, but small business owners can apply through the website or call center of the local city gas company.

The electricity bill payment deferral applies to small business owners and residential welfare discount households such as basic livelihood security recipients, persons with disabilities, low-income households, and merit recipients. The target includes 157,000 small business owner households and 185,000 residential welfare discount households.

If the extension is already applied, it will be automatically extended without a separate application, and new applications can be made through the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) call center (dial 123 without area code).

Small business owners with contracted power of 20 kW or less can apply immediately without a small business owner verification certificate, but those exceeding 20 kW must submit a verification certificate.

Seo Sooncheol, Director of the Energy New Industry Division of Jeonnam Province, said, “We expect that the payment deferral measures for city gas and electricity bills will somewhat alleviate the economic burden on small business owners and vulnerable households struggling due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.”