Prepare Supporting Documents and Submit to Your Local Town or Township Office
On May 21, Cheongyang County in South Chungcheong Province announced that, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare's revised guidelines for the "2025 Medical Assistance Program," individuals associated with the May 18 Democratization Movement who received "reprimand measures" are now also eligible for medical assistance.
Under the current "Medical Assistance Act," those who have received compensation in accordance with Article 8 of the "Act on Compensation, etc. for Persons Involved in the May 18 Democratization Movement" are eligible for medical assistance.
However, since the amendment of the compensation law in 2021, individuals who received reprimand measures had been excluded from medical assistance on the grounds that they were recipients of other types of support.
To address this blind spot, the National Assembly included related supplementary opinions in this year's budget bill, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare recently partially revised the "2025 Medical Assistance Program" guidelines to include those who received reprimand measures as eligible for medical assistance.
With this policy improvement, previously only those who were criminally punished or officially registered as May 18-related individuals were eligible for medical assistance, but now even those who only received reprimand measures will have access to national medical assistance.
Kim Dongon, Governor of Cheongyang County, stated, "The May 18 Democratization Movement is a symbol of justice and democracy in our history, and I hope this policy improvement will provide meaningful support to those involved. Cheongyang County will continue to do its best to realize a warm welfare system without blind spots."
To apply for medical assistance, individuals must prepare documents proving their association with the May 18 Democratization Movement and submit them to the town or township office corresponding to their address on the resident registration.
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