Seoul Welfare Becomes More Comprehensive and Meticulous

Expansion of Allowances for Veterans, Implementation of Bus Fare Support for Disabled Persons, etc.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 19th that it will activate welfare policies this year under the goal of "ensuring that all citizens can enjoy a stable life" amid rapid aging and prolonged economic recession. Seoul-style welfare aimed at eliminating blind spots through ‘Safe Welfare,’ strengthening the social safety net through ‘Inclusive Welfare,’ and reflecting the needs of each target group through ‘Accompanying Welfare’ will be further enhanced.

First, Safe Welfare will be realized by actively responding to the elimination of welfare blind spots through broad support for vulnerable groups. The number of participating households in Safe Income, which leads the future welfare model, will be doubled, and the existing visiting community center functions will be reorganized to conduct focused welfare and health management for crisis households. In addition, the expansion of customized smart welfare services will be promoted to respond to blind spots without care gaps.

Furthermore, Inclusive Welfare will be realized to strengthen the social safety net amid the economic crisis and to discover marginalized policy targets from multiple angles. Support for crisis households will be strengthened through the expansion of Seoul-style emergency welfare and basic security systems, and welfare systems covering various marginalized groups such as family care youth and youth merit recipients will be established. Also, starting in July, bus fare support for persons with disabilities will be implemented, new insurance subscription support for users of electric mobility aids will be provided, and allowances for low-income veterans will be expanded.

Lastly, Accompanying Welfare tailored to the welfare needs of each target group such as the elderly, persons with disabilities, and homeless people will be realized. First, a support system will be established so that elderly people in need of care can enjoy a stable old age “in their neighborhood, close to family.” The expansion of the elderly care communal living home, tentatively named ‘Seoul-style Safe Care Home,’ will provide a home-like care environment for the elderly. In addition, balanced support and expansion of welfare infrastructure for persons with disabilities will be pursued so that all persons with disabilities can enjoy a happy life, and various psychological rehabilitation programs supporting humanities education and physical activities for the homeless will be continuously promoted as part of the accompaniment projects for the vulnerable.

Seoul announced these contents as the ‘2023 Changes in Seoul Welfare.’ The main points are the establishment of a support system for the elderly for ‘Safe Age-Friendly City Seoul,’ strengthening the livelihood stability and self-reliance support for vulnerable groups, promotion of customized welfare services for vulnerable youth, and expansion of smart welfare service support.

First, Seoul will promote ‘Safe Age-Friendly City Seoul’ by establishing a comprehensive support system responding to welfare needs throughout the life cycle such as care, living, and leisure through the expansion of Seoul-style Safe Care Homes and the creation of playgrounds for the elderly.

Second, Seoul will further strengthen customized livelihood and self-reliance support for vulnerable groups amid the economic crisis. Starting in July, bus fare support will be fully implemented for all 390,000 persons with disabilities to reduce their daily mobility and living burdens. In addition, new insurance subscription will be promoted for all persons with disabilities using electric mobility aids to further enhance convenience and safety in daily life.

Seoul’s veterans’ allowance for low-income veterans’ livelihood stability will also be expanded. To improve income and enhance respect for low-income national merit recipients, the living assistance allowance will be increased by 100,000 KRW (from 100,000 KRW to 200,000 KRW), and the target for the independence merit living support allowance will be expanded to include basic pension recipients (from 2,700 to 3,700 people), so that more veterans can benefit. In addition, the Accompanying Restaurant, which provides a meal for residents of jjokbang (small rooms), will be expanded to 50 locations this year, and a jjokbang village-specialized food market will be newly established to continuously promote accompaniment projects for the health rights and livelihood stability of jjokbang residents.

Third, customized welfare services for the future of vulnerable youth will be promoted. First, customized support measures for family care youth in Seoul will be prepared, and the target for the Youth Account, which supports asset formation for working youth, will be expanded by 3,000 people. In addition, various welfare policies embracing marginalized groups such as revitalizing the operation of the Youth Accompanying Center and strengthening support for youth merit recipients will be implemented.

Fourth, smart welfare services will be expanded to support meticulous care without blind spots. Using Internet of Things (IoT), robots, and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, continuous expansion in welfare service fields from simple safety checks to emotional care and rehabilitation treatment will be pursued.

Kim Sang-han, Director of Seoul Welfare Policy Office, said, “The demand for strengthening the social safety net for vulnerable groups is increasing due to the economic recession, and we feel the necessity to evolve welfare services in response to various welfare environment changes such as the advent of a super-aged society and the increase in youth debt.” He added, “Seoul will become a strong support so that all citizens can enjoy a stable life by implementing more meticulous Seoul-style Safe, Inclusive, and Accompanying Welfare.”