Gwangju City Completes First Round of Additional National Support Payments for Low-Income Households

For Approximately 64,000 Households Including Basic Livelihood Security Recipients

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Gwangju Metropolitan City has completed the first payment of additional national support funds for low-income households.

On the 24th, Gwangju City announced that it has provided a total of 10,086.2 million KRW in additional national support funds to 64,216 low-income households, including basic livelihood security recipients, to alleviate the financial burden of low-income families who have faced difficulties due to COVID-19.

The additional national support funds for low-income households were provided separately from the government's 5th disaster relief fund (National Coexistence Support Fund), with an additional 100,000 KRW per person given to low-income individuals. The detailed recipients include basic livelihood security recipients, legally defined near-poverty groups, and legally defined single-parent families receiving child-rearing support.

On the same day, the city paid the support funds to the representative accounts of existing guaranteed households without a separate application process for those with welfare benefit account information, such as basic livelihood security living and housing benefits, and near-poverty disabled persons (near-poverty disability pension, near-poverty disability allowance).

For households receiving no welfare benefits, such as basic livelihood security medical and educational benefits, near-poverty self-pay reduction, near-poverty self-support, and near-poverty group verification households, separate applications were accepted at the local administrative welfare centers or payments were made after confirming accounts via phone.

Those who did not receive payments on the 24th due to reasons such as newly qualified recipients in August, delayed contact, account errors, or inability to verify accounts are planned to receive additional payments by the 15th of next month.

Previously, Gwangju City and its five autonomous districts prepared in advance by organizing supplementary budgets, registering recipient household information, and organizing payment accounts to promptly provide the additional national support funds for low-income households.

The city plans to swiftly proceed with adjustments for newly qualified recipients in August and households with payment errors to ensure the second payment is completed smoothly before Chuseok. Prior phone and text notifications will be conducted to prevent any missed payments.

For detailed information regarding the additional national support funds for low-income households, inquiries can be made to the Ministry of Health and Welfare call center, Gwangju City call center, or the local administrative welfare centers of the residence.

Ryu Misu, Director of the Social Welfare Division of the city, said, “As COVID-19 continues, the difficulties in the lives of low-income households will increase further. Although these are challenging times, we hope this additional national support fund will help alleviate the financial burden of low-income households even a little.”