Pohang City Pilots Sick Leave Benefits Program... 1.371 Billion Won Support for Sick Workers

A total of 1,343 cases and 1.371 billion KRW paid to 876 workers

Until nationwide implementation of the system in 2025... Strengthening benefit promotion

Since July 2022, Pohang City has reported that as of January 21 this year, a total of 876 workers have received benefits amounting to 1.371 billion KRW through the first phase of the sickness allowance pilot project.

The business agreement ceremony held ahead of the implementation of the 'Phase 1 Sick Leave Allowance Pilot Project' in 2022.

The sickness allowance is a system that compensates income to allow workers to focus on treatment when they are unable to engage in economic activities due to injuries or illnesses unrelated to work. It is scheduled for nationwide implementation in the second half of 2025.

Pohang City operates the first phase pilot project, a ‘work activity incapacity model’ that allows workers to apply for sickness allowance if they are unable to work for more than 7 days due to illness or injury, regardless of hospitalization status.

As of the 21st, there have been 1,689 applications with 1,343 payments made. The average payment duration is 22 days. The average payment amount is 1.02 million KRW, with a total of 1.371 billion KRW paid to workers. Among them, 60 workers received the maximum guaranteed payment period of 90 days.

When the same person applies for extensions, these are counted as separate payment cases, which causes a difference between the number of payments and the number of workers who received benefits.

By employment type, the highest proportion was health insurance workplace subscribers at 72.5%, followed by self-employed at 19.2%, and employment/industrial accident insurance subscribers at 8.3%. By age group, those in their 50s accounted for the highest proportion at 38.7%, followed by those in their 40s, 60s, and 30s.

The main illnesses among sickness allowance recipients were injuries related to the neck and shoulders at 34.1%, followed by musculoskeletal diseases and illnesses such as cancer.

The sickness allowance support targets are health insurance workplace subscribers, employment/industrial accident insurance subscribers, or self-employed individuals aged 15 to under 65 who reside in Pohang or work at businesses within Pohang. They can receive up to 47,560 KRW per day, which is 60% of this year’s minimum wage, for a maximum of 90 days.

To apply for the sickness allowance, applicants must prepare required documents such as a diagnosis certificate for the sickness allowance issued by participating medical institutions and apply through the National Health Insurance Service website or by visiting, mailing, or faxing to the Pohang Southern Branch Office.

Notably, Pohang is the only local government among the pilot project participants where both the Nam-gu and Buk-gu public health centers participate as medical institutions, contributing to improved accessibility and convenience for citizens.

Mayor Lee Kang-deok stated, “Pohang started the sickness allowance pilot project for sick workers three years earlier, benefiting many workers. We will strengthen promotion efforts so that even one more worker can benefit before the full system is introduced in 2025.”

For inquiries regarding sickness allowance applications and related matters, more detailed information can be obtained through the National Health Insurance Service website or the Pohang Southern Branch Office’s sickness allowance operation team.