Seongnam City Provides Emergency Injection of 45 Billion Won for 2nd Solidarity Safety Fund

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Seongnam City in Gyeonggi Province is injecting 45 billion KRW of its own budget to support the 'Seongnam-type 2nd Solidarity Safety Fund' to revive the stagnant livelihood economy caused by the prolonged COVID-19 crisis.

This is the second economic quarantine policy of Seongnam City following the 'Seongnam-type 1st Solidarity Safety Fund' support, which combined universal and pinpoint support worth 189.3 billion KRW implemented last April.

This support is a selective 'proportional support' targeting small business owners, special employment workers, children, and other vulnerable groups suffering from the blind spots of government support and the damage caused by the resurgence of COVID-19.

The main contents include a total of 17 projects: nine support projects for vulnerable groups such as Seongnam-type education care support, four reduction projects such as water and sewage fee reductions, two job support projects such as administrative intern support, and two local economic revitalization projects such as a 10% discount sale of Seongnam Love Gift Certificates.

The city provides care support funds to all households with preschool, elementary, middle, and high school students.

In addition to the government support of 200,000 KRW per person for 98,000 preschool and elementary school students aged 0-12, an additional 100,000 KRW per person will be provided. For 26,006 middle school students aged 13-15, an additional 100,000 KRW per person will be given on top of the government support of 150,000 KRW.

In particular, 28,373 high school students aged 16-18, who are excluded from government support, will also receive 200,000 KRW per person as the 'Seongnam-type Education Care Support Fund.'

This is additional support using 18 billion KRW of the city’s own budget, separate from government support, befitting 'Seongnam as a good place for children to live.'

The city also expands self-support for vulnerable groups such as small business owners, self-employed, and special employment workers.

For 1,164 recipients of the Seongnam-type emergency employment support project (first project applicants), who are vulnerable employment groups such as special employment and freelancers, up to 1 million KRW per person will be paid, and for 4,000 new applicants of the second Ministry of Employment project, 500,000 KRW per person will be provided.

Additionally, 2,000 city and village bus drivers, who are struggling due to a decrease in passengers, will receive 100,000 KRW per month for three months, totaling 600 million KRW. Operating expenses of 1 million KRW each will be supported to 585 long-term closed daycare centers and 69 child welfare facilities to alleviate operational difficulties.

Local economic revitalization is also pursued through the additional issuance of 30 billion KRW worth of local currency Seongnam Love Gift Certificates (totaling 130 billion KRW). The Seongnam Love Gift Certificates, which have sold 84.5 billion KRW so far, will continue to be sold at a 10% discount up to a limit of 500,000 KRW per person until the budget is exhausted this year. From the 18th of this month to November 17th, for two months, if 200,000 KRW worth of mobile Seongnam Love Gift Certificates are used, an additional 30,000 KRW consumption support fund can also be received.

In addition, emergency support will be provided such as ▲ 26,000 low-income single-parent households receiving 100,000 KRW per household (2.6 billion KRW) ▲ 10,887 severely disabled persons receiving 100,000 KRW per person (1.089 billion KRW) ▲ 30% reduction of this year’s traffic inducement charges, water and sewage fees, and 25% reduction of road occupancy fees (12.597 billion KRW) ▲ rent reduction for stores in public facilities on shared property (1.882 billion KRW) ▲ employment projects for 120 administrative interns and senior citizen community center environment keepers (1.436 billion KRW).

Seongnam Mayor Eun Soo-mi stated, "This second additional support project aims to minimize the blind spots of government support projects and focus on providing risk-proportional support as the damage to low-income groups due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic intensifies."