Gyeonggi-do Collaborates with KEPCO to Identify Vulnerable Households

Gyeonggi Province is partnering with Korea Electric Power Corporation to identify vulnerable households within the province.

Gyeonggi Province has joined hands with Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) to identify welfare blind spots.

On the 24th, Gyeonggi Province announced that it signed a business agreement with KEPCO's Gyeonggi Headquarters and Northern Gyeonggi Headquarters to carry out a cooperative project to identify households in welfare blind spots during on-site inspections and phone consultations for electricity meter readings, bill deliveries, and electricity bill delinquency management.

According to the agreement, KEPCO's Gyeonggi Headquarters and Northern Gyeonggi Headquarters will report neighbors in need to Gyeonggi Province's Emergency Welfare Crisis Counseling Hotline (010-4419-7722) when they identify those requiring assistance.

Gyeonggi Province will provide support such as basic living security, lower-income class assistance, emergency welfare, as well as livelihood, housing, and medical expenses to the neighbors reported to the Emergency Welfare Crisis Counseling Hotline. Additionally, even if they do not qualify for existing welfare programs, private sponsorship welfare services will be linked as needed to resolve crisis situations.

KEPCO's Gyeonggi Headquarters and Northern Gyeonggi Headquarters will actively promote efficient energy use and the application for electricity bill welfare discount programs to alleviate electricity bill burdens for vulnerable groups experiencing economic difficulties, in cooperation with Gyeonggi Province.

As a public-private cooperation effort to prevent a recurrence of the 'Suwon Three Mothers Incident' and to guarantee welfare rights for citizens in crisis, Gyeonggi Province is promoting the following initiatives: ▲ Christian, Catholic, and Buddhist organizations posting promotional materials and conducting education on discovering and reporting welfare blind spots ▲ Gyeonggi Pharmaceutical Association producing and distributing promotional stickers to pharmacies in the province ▲ Real Estate Agents Association distributing promotional materials to licensed real estate agents ▲ Small Business Federation promoting via website banners, flyers for members, and KakaoTalk messages ▲ Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education posting notices on its website and promoting via apps to parents ▲ National Health Insurance Service Incheon-Gyeonggi Regional Headquarters linking with long-term care grade assessment surveys.

Kim Neung-sik, Director of the Welfare Bureau of Gyeonggi Province, said, "Although Gyeonggi Province operates a support system to discover welfare blind spots through cooperation with related organizations and groups, there are limits to public organizations alone, so the interest and cooperation of neighbors are crucial." He urged, "If you discover neighbors in crisis, please contact the Gyeonggi Province Emergency Welfare Crisis Counseling Hotline, 031-120 Gyeonggi Call Center, or the Eup/Myeon/Dong Administrative Welfare Center."