"Increase Energy Vouchers for Vulnerable Groups from 150,000 to 300,000 Won" (Comprehensive)

Joo Ho-young "The government must not stand idly by"
Seong Il-jong "To provide stronger support"
Considering payment from contingency funds... Drawing a line on supplementary budget

[Asia Economy Reporters Hyunju Lee and Youngwon Kim] On the 26th, the People Power Party requested the government to increase the energy voucher amount provided to vulnerable groups to ease heating cost burdens from 150,000 won to up to twice that amount.

Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, stated at the emergency committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the same day, "The government should not stand idly by while people's livelihoods are suffering due to heating cost burdens."

Floor leader Joo said, "Although an immediate supplementary budget (additional budget) is difficult, I hope the government will raise the energy voucher amount to about 300,000 won by utilizing contingency funds or other available resources to reduce the burden on ordinary citizens, and I request the Policy Committee and the government to promptly discuss this."

Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the People Power Party, is attending the floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 25th. Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

Earlier that day, in an interview on CBS Radio's Kim Hyun-jung News Show, floor leader Joo also said, "We will soon hold a party-government policy meeting to find a solution to this issue," adding, "It is natural to start with vulnerable groups, but we plan to listen to the opinions of the party-government meeting and experts to determine which approach is most effective and how to best use limited resources."

Seong Il-jong, chairman of the Policy Committee, said, "The government has increased energy voucher support by more than 50% for about 1.18 million vulnerable households and also expanded gas bill discounts by over 50%," but added, "However, this is still insufficient to get through the winter amid soaring heating costs. We hope the government will actively provide stronger support."

He also criticized, "It is not honorable for the Democratic Party of Korea, which ran the country until last year, to engage in excessive political attacks over the heating cost issue," calling it "a shallow trick to create a political refuge by holding people's livelihoods hostage."