2,000 Young Employees at Busan SMEs to Enjoy 1 Million Won 'Joy' This Year

Aged 18 to 39, Employed for Over 3 Months
Monthly Income of 3,589,000 Won or Less

Two thousand young people working at small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Busan will each receive a “Joy” benefit of 1 million won.

The Busan Metropolitan Government (Mayor Park Hyungjoon) announced on the 1st that it will be recruiting young participants for the 2025 Busan Youth Joy at Work Card Support Program from the 7th to the 18th of this month.

This program has been implemented since 2020 to partially reduce the wage gap with large corporations, boost the motivation of young employees at SMEs in Busan, and encourage long-term employment.

The city will provide 1 million won in welfare points per person to young people aged 18 to 39 who reside in Busan according to their resident registration and have been employed for at least three months at SMEs located in Busan. The number of beneficiaries will increase from 1,650 last year to 2,000 this year.

Eligible applicants are young people born between January 1, 1985, and December 31, 2007, who are new to the workforce and joined SMEs in Busan between January 1, 2023, and January 2, 2025.

The monthly income of applicants must not exceed 3,589,000 won, and the average monthly health insurance premium (excluding long-term care insurance) for the three months from January to March this year must be 127,230 won or less.

Busan City will screen applicants and select recipients through a public lottery in May. Those selected will receive 1 million won in welfare points, provided in two installments of 500,000 won each, after completing a pre-use education session.

The welfare points can be used both online and offline in three areas: cultural and leisure activities, self-development, and health management. The first installment of 500,000 won will be provided in June, and the second installment will be given in September after confirming continued employment.

Young people interested in this program can apply online through the Busan Youth Joy at Work Card website from 10 a.m. on April 7 to 6 p.m. on April 18.

For more details, refer to the announcement posted on the website or contact the Busan Economic Promotion Agency.

Kim Guiok, Director of the Youth-Industry Cooperation Bureau of Busan City, stated, “We hope this program will help narrow the income gap and improve welfare for young people new to the workforce at SMEs in Busan,” adding, “We will continue to develop and promote youth policies to make Busan a city where young people can work and live well.”