78.4% of Eligible Recipients Apply Within One Week of Registration
A Total of 7.12 Trillion Won Distributed... "All Administrative Resources Mobilized"
End of Day-of-the-Week Application System Allows Anyone to Apply Now
The nationwide application rate for the 'Livelihood Recovery Consumption Coupon' has reached nearly 80%. With the end of the day-of-the-week application system, both online and offline applications have been open to everyone regardless of birth year since last weekend.
On July 28, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that about 39.67 million people, or 78.4% of the expected recipients, had applied for the Livelihood Recovery Consumption Coupon within a week of the start of applications and registrations, and approximately 7.12 trillion won had been distributed.
Compared to the same period for the Emergency Disaster Relief Fund in 2020 and the National Support Fund in 2021, the application rates increased by 24.0 percentage points and 10.2 percentage points, respectively. The government interpreted that, despite difficulties such as differentiating between various recipients and payment amounts after announcing the first payment plan for the consumption coupon, the government, local governments, and financial institutions worked together to establish a thorough implementation system, which allowed many citizens to complete their applications without significant inconvenience.
However, confusion remains regarding the areas and methods of use. The consumption coupon can only be used at small businesses with annual sales of 3 billion won or less, excluding large supermarkets, department stores, and entertainment establishments. Even within the same franchise, it can only be used at franchisee stores, not company-owned outlets, even if they appear to be local shops.
Warnings about illegal discount sales of the consumption coupon have also increased. As smishing and fake information on social networking services (SNS) have risen, the government has asked local governments and platforms to strengthen monitoring of attempts to trade consumption coupons on online secondhand trading platforms. The National Investigation Headquarters of the National Police Agency will also conduct special crackdowns on illegal distribution of consumption coupons until the end of November, the coupon usage deadline, targeting so-called 'card cashing,' false sales, person-to-person fraud, and transfers to others.
The government plans to mobilize all administrative resources until the end to ensure that all residents receive the consumption coupon without anyone being left out. The day-of-the-week application system, which was operated until July 25, has ended. Until September 12, applications can be made online or offline regardless of birth year. The second round of consumption coupons will be provided in addition, with 100,000 won each for 90% of the population except for the top 10% income bracket, and the application period is from September 22 to October 31. Both the first and second rounds of coupons must be used within the same metropolitan local government by November 30 of this year.
To ensure that all citizens receive the consumption coupon without any blind spots, the government is also promoting an 'outreach application' service, in which local government officials visit the homes of citizens with mobility difficulties, such as the elderly and people with disabilities, to help them apply and receive the coupon. For 'outreach applications,' citizens such as elderly people living alone or people with disabilities who have difficulty moving can request the service by phone or text to the local community center, and the responsible staff will visit their home, village hall, or senior center to assist with the application and distribution of the coupon. In particular, for citizens affected by heavy rain disasters, as well as those living in elderly or disabled care facilities, the service will be proactively provided in cooperation with local heads and social welfare councils.
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