'Get Up to 216,000 KRW Annual Refund When Using Public Transportation'... Government and Ruling Party Introduce 'K-Pass'

People Power Party and Government Discuss Next Year's Budget Proposal
Subcommittee Agrees to Increase Annual Income Threshold by 4 Million KRW
Request to Include Budget for Family Care Youth Support

The People Power Party and the government have agreed to introduce the integrated subway and bus pass called 'K-Pass' starting from July next year, and to reflect this in next year's budget proposal.

On the 22nd, Park Dae-chul, the chairman of the People Power Party's Policy Committee, stated at the party's floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly, "The party has been requesting the government to include budgets related to major livelihood projects through budget negotiations between the party and the government," adding, "The government has decided to include the K-Pass in next year's budget so that it can be implemented from July, the second half of next year."

The K-Pass is a system that refunds 20% of the transportation costs paid within a monthly limit of 60 rides if public transportation such as subways and buses is used more than 21 times, with an annual maximum refund of 216,000 KRW. It is similar to the 'Altteul Transportation Card' program implemented during the Moon Jae-in administration, but unlike the Altteul Transportation Card, which requires walking or cycling to receive refunds, the K-Pass allows for transportation cost savings based on the number of public transportation rides. Refund benefits for youth and low-income groups are further increased, with youth able to receive up to 324,000 KRW annually and low-income groups up to 576,000 KRW annually.

Chairman Park explained, "The Altteul Transportation Card had a complicated mileage payment structure proportional to walking and cycling distances, resulting in very low usage among transportation-vulnerable groups and the elderly," "With the introduction of the K-Pass, existing Altteul Transportation Card users can receive benefits without needing to walk or cycle, and new subscribers can enjoy transportation cost savings based on their usage frequency."

Park Dae-chul, Chairman of the Policy Committee of the People Power Party, is speaking on the afternoon of the 7th at the Violent Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in Mapo-gu, Seoul, during the 'Problem Solver! Kim Ki-hyun Goes - On-site Visit for Violent Crime Countermeasures.' Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The party and government also discussed measures to improve the treatment of junior military officers. First, they plan to raise the current junior officer selection rate, which is only 58.8%, to 80%, and convert personnel with over 15 years of service to civilian military workers, increasing the proportion of career civilian military workers to over 50%. They are also pursuing a plan to increase the salary for the rank of second lieutenant to the level of mid-sized companies by providing an additional 4 million KRW annually. Chairman Park said, "We are also improving junior officer accommodations, advancing the plan to provide single rooms per person by 2026, one year earlier than the original 2027 target," adding, "We are expanding overtime pay for junior officers working under difficult conditions such as at GP and GOP, and continuing discussions on expanding special duty allowances."

The People Power Party also requested the inclusion of policy support measures for youth caregivers in next year's budget. Chairman Park said, "Given the urgency of proactively identifying youth caregivers, we requested budget allocation for 10,000 care coordinators to manage them," and added, "We strongly urged an annual self-care budget of 2 million KRW for youth caregivers." In particular, the party requested the government to expand institutions where youth caregivers can use a monthly voucher worth 700,000 KRW to receive social services such as home care visits, driver support, and customized psychological support.