[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] All citizens of Gwangju will receive a daily recovery support fund of 100,000 KRW per person early next year.
Lee Yong-seop, Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, along with Im Taek, Dong-gu District Mayor; Seo Dae-seok, Seo-gu District Mayor; Kim Byeong-nae, Nam-gu District Mayor; Moon In, Buk-gu District Mayor; and Kim Sam-ho, Gwangsan-gu District Mayor, jointly announced the payment of the daily recovery support fund on the 14th.
The total budget for the daily recovery support fund is 146.9 billion KRW, with the city securing 132.2 billion KRW (90%) and the districts contributing 14.7 billion KRW (10%). The payment will be managed by Gwangju city and executed by the autonomous districts in a role-sharing manner.
The recipients are all citizens registered as residents in Gwangju Metropolitan City as of December 1, 2021.
Foreigners who have registered Gwangju as their place of stay, as well as overseas Koreans with foreign nationality who have reported residence in Gwangju, are also eligible. In particular, newborns born after the reference date are eligible if one parent qualifies and submits a birth certificate within the application period.
The payment to citizens will be made through one of three main methods.
The first is cash account deposit: from January 7 to 14, 2022, about 80,000 basic livelihood security recipients will receive the fund via account transfer to the head of household’s welfare benefit account.
The second is credit or debit card charging: from January 17, citizens can easily apply through the daily recovery support fund application website by linking with their existing cards. Nine card companies, including BC Card, Hyundai Card, Woori Card, and NH Nonghyup Card, will participate.
The third is prepaid mutual growth card on-site payment: from January 17 to February 28, citizens can visit the administrative welfare center in charge of their address as of December 1, 2021, to apply for and receive the mutual growth card on site.
For socially vulnerable groups such as the elderly and disabled who find it difficult to visit in person, a ‘visiting application service’ will also be operated.
The usage period for the daily recovery support fund is until May 31, 2022, and usage is limited to the Gwangju area.
Eligible businesses for usage include local small business owners and neighborhood commercial establishments, while usage is restricted at department stores, large supermarkets, corporate supermarkets, entertainment establishments, and gambling venues.
Gwangju city and the autonomous districts will operate a task force led by deputy heads to swiftly distribute the daily recovery support fund and minimize citizen inconvenience. They will thoroughly prepare by building an online system, implementing COVID-19 prevention measures, and closely monitoring on-site situations.
Meanwhile, according to data analyzed by the Public Investment Evaluation Consulting Center under the Gwangju Jeonnam Research Institute last November, if 10 million KRW per citizen totaling 147 billion KRW is paid, it is reported to generate a production inducement effect of 183.8 billion KRW, a value-added inducement effect of 104.1 billion KRW, and employment inducement effect of 3,077 jobs.
Mayor Lee Yong-seop of Gwangju Metropolitan City and the district mayors said, “We thank all citizens who have endured the inconvenience of prolonged social distancing over the past two years and actively cooperated with quarantine efforts. We will ensure that this daily recovery support fund can be applied for, received, and used by citizens in the most convenient way possible.”
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