Conflicts Over Heating Bills Arise Amidst Two Months of Incoming Invoices

Kindergarten Saving on Heating... Parents "Concerned About Children's Health"
Director Presents Bill Saying "Heating Cost Increased by 300,000 Won"
Support Measures for Vulnerable Facilities Exist but Blind Spots Remain

[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Song Seung-seop] Following January, expensive gas bills arrived again in February, sparking conflicts over heating costs in various places. This is due to clashes between those trying to save on heating expenses and those concerned about the health deterioration of facility users.

Kim Kwon-seok (38), who lives in Suseong-gu, Daegu, recently visited a nearby A Community Center to use hourly childcare services and was surprised. There were many children using the childcare system, but the temperature was so low that even he, an adult male, felt his feet were cold. Childcare staff wore coats, and in rooms with many children, fan-type heaters were used as substitutes for heating. Kim said, "I left my child there for a day, but he came back with a cold," and complained, "I do not want to send my child to facilities that save on heating costs."

At B Kindergarten, located in Gyeongbuk region with an area of 32 pyeong, parents collectively protested to the director about the indoor temperature being too low. It was revealed that the director maintained the indoor temperature at 19 degrees Celsius to reduce heating costs. One parent protested, "Even adults feel chilly at 21-22 degrees, so it is unreasonable for children to be at 19 degrees in winter." In response, the director showed a photo of the bill and explained that the heating cost rose from 460,000 won in December to 700,000 won.

Residents of C Apartment in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, complained in their community about why the heating bills were so high. The apartment has a structure where all households share the heating costs, and the communal heating bill more than doubled compared to the previous month. Shin (last name withheld), a resident of the apartment, lamented, "I used heating sparingly, but I still have to pay more money, which feels unfair." On the other hand, households with children or elderly members say they have no choice but to operate heating despite the high costs.

Last month, when the government limited indoor heating temperatures in public institutions to 17 degrees Celsius, complaints erupted among public officials saying, "It's too cold to work." As the controversy grew, the government relaxed the temperature standard to 19 degrees and announced it would leave discretion to managers.

Gas Prices Soared 36%... Blind Spots Without Support

These conflicts have become frequent as more people and facilities try to reduce heating burdens amid soaring city gas prices. According to Statistics Korea, last month's city gas prices rose 36.2% compared to January last year. In terms of the rate of increase, this is the steepest rise in 24 years and 9 months since April 1998 (38.2%) during the IMF crisis.

The government announced an additional 5.29 billion won in heating cost support for social welfare facilities. A total of 8,526 places will receive monthly heating support ranging from 300,000 won to 1,000,000 won during this winter season. Local governments are also rolling out various heating support policies one after another.

However, voices point out that there are still blind spots in heating support for some vulnerable groups and private facilities. Criticism of government measures is strong because they do not support users of district heating operated by the private sector. Seoul recently announced a special heating cost support plan, but private daycare centers were excluded from the support, raising concerns about fairness. Small business owners hit by COVID-19 are also excluded from heating cost support.

In the National Assembly, bills related to heating costs are being proposed one after another. Seven related amendment bills have been introduced in the past month alone. Most of these bills aim to increase the scale of heating cost support or address blind spots. Kim Kyung-man, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, proposed an amendment to the Energy Act to expand energy voucher recipients to include residential and educational benefit recipients, and Kim Yoon-duk, also from the Democratic Party, proposed a bill to establish a 'Public Utility Advisory Committee' and a 'Price Stabilization Committee' to curb public utility fee increases.