Payment of 453 million KRW to 67 people over 1 year and 4 months after enrolling all citizens in 'Citizen Safety Insurance'
36 cases of explosion, fire, collapse, and landslide accidents are the most frequent, followed by public transportation, school zone accidents, and natural disasters
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul City announced on the 1st that 67 citizens have received insurance payments totaling 453 million KRW over the past 1 year and 4 months since subscribing all Seoul citizens to the ‘Citizen Safety Insurance’.
‘Citizen Safety Insurance’ is a system that pays up to 10 million KRW to citizens who suffer damage from unexpected safety accidents or natural disasters. The public sector fully covers the insurance premiums with the purpose of providing a safety net that offers psychological stability and financial assistance to affected citizens. Any citizen registered in Seoul, including registered foreigners, is automatically enrolled without a separate subscription process.
Among the 67 cases (persons) that received insurance payments over the past 1 year and 4 months, accidents involving explosions, fires, collapses, and landslides were the most frequent with 36 cases (341 million KRW). Public transportation accidents and school zone traffic accidents (28 cases, 82 million KRW), and natural disaster accidents (3 cases, 30 million KRW) followed. Among them, 38 people received the maximum insurance coverage amount of 10 million KRW each.
Seoul City will implement three major improvements this year to allow more citizens to enjoy the rights of ‘Citizen Safety Insurance’: ▲diversification of claim submission channels ▲establishment of a standard consultation manual ▲expansion of call center staff. These measures were prepared based on inquiries and inconveniences raised by citizens over the past year. First, the methods for submitting insurance claims will be diversified. While claims were previously accepted only by registered mail, from now on, claim submission offices will be established at all NH Nonghyup Insurance branches (17 locations) in the Seoul area to accept in-person submissions.
Next, a standard consultation manual for ‘Citizen Safety Insurance’ will be created to ensure that citizens receive consistent information through call centers and other channels. The city produced a response manual addressing questions citizens may have about claim timing, subscription methods, insurance payment procedures, and eligibility requirements, and delivered it to NH Nonghyup Insurance. Additionally, NH Nonghyup Insurance operates a dedicated call center exclusively for ‘Citizen Safety Insurance’. This year, the number of call center staff will be increased to reduce citizens’ waiting times.
Han Je-hyun, Director of Seoul City’s Safety General Office, said, “Seoul City has been operating ‘Citizen Safety Insurance’ since last year to support citizens who suffer from unexpected accidents. This year, we will activate three major improvements, including diversifying claim submission methods, so that affected citizens can fully enjoy their insurance rights. We will continue to cooperate with NH Nonghyup Insurance to enhance citizen convenience. We will also continuously promote the insurance in collaboration with related organizations such as the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, police, fire departments, and education offices to ensure no citizen misses out on benefits due to lack of awareness.”
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
