Goheung-gun, 6.7 Billion KRW Disaster Relief Fund Distributed to All Residents

Providing 100,000 Won Per Person Before Lunar New Year to Comfort Residents

Religious Groups, Travel Agencies, and Tour Buses Severely Affected Also Receive 1 Million Won Support

[Goheung=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Chunsu] Goheung-gun, Jeollanam-do has decided to provide disaster relief funds to support residents struggling due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

On the 22nd, Goheung-gun and the Goheung-gun Council announced that they have reached a sudden agreement to provide disaster relief funds to all residents before the Lunar New Year to share and comfort the hardships and economic difficulties faced by residents due to the prolonged COVID-19 situation.

County Governor Song Guigeun judged that disaster relief support is urgently needed for Goheung residents as more local governments are providing disaster relief funds, and on the 20th, he personally met with Chairman Song Younghyun to request budget review.

To discuss this in detail, the County Council held an emergency meeting with the governor on the 21st, listened to the executive branch’s disaster relief fund support plan, and after in-depth discussions, agreed to proceed with the executive branch’s original plan.

At the meeting, the main focus was on the plan proposed by Governor Song to provide 100,000 KRW per resident as disaster relief funds, and 1 million KRW each for religious organizations, travel agencies, and tour buses, totaling 6.7 billion KRW, to be distributed before the Lunar New Year holiday.

The disaster relief funds for all residents will be given to those registered as residents in Goheung-gun as of January 21, 2021; those aged 65 and older will receive cash, while those 64 and younger will receive local love gift certificates.

Additionally, religious organizations, travel agencies, and tour buses, which were previously excluded from government support and suffered severe business damage, will each receive 1 million KRW in cash if they hold registration or permits as of the reference date.

Besides this, the county has already supported 2.5 billion KRW in 25 sectors last year targeting low-income groups, small business owners, taxi operators, pregnant women, retail and wholesale businesses, livestock farms, and unemployed individuals related to COVID-19, so the total county budget support is expected to exceed 13.5 billion KRW.

Governor Song Guigeun said, “Although the financial situation is difficult, I wanted to express comfort and encouragement to residents struggling due to COVID-19,” and added, “I am grateful to the Goheung-gun Council for readily agreeing to this bold decision.”

He continued, “This disaster relief fund was possible because Goheung-gun secured a large amount of national and provincial subsidies, and due to the cancellation of various events caused by COVID-19, county expenses were reduced,” adding, “I hope this brings some comfort to the residents.”

Chairman Song Younghyun also stated, “There can be no division between the executive branch and the council when it comes to serving the residents,” and “I hope the disaster relief funds proposed by the executive branch will be a great help to the residents.”

Meanwhile, Goheung-gun plans to accept applications from residents and fully distribute the disaster relief funds by February 10, before the Lunar New Year, as soon as the related ordinance is promulgated and the budget review is completed on February 3.