Offline and online appeals close at 6 p.m. on July 16 and July 17, respectively; as of Thursday, 97.4% of eligible recipients have applied and been paid, with 6.08 trillion won ($3.93 billion) disbursed
The application and disbursement window for the high oil price victim support fund closes Friday.
The Ministry of Interior and Safety said Sunday that eligible recipients who have not yet applied must do so by Friday, either online or in person, and that those who miss the deadline will not receive the fund.
Those who wish to contest their eligibility determination may file an online appeal through the People's Ombudsman portal until 6 p.m. on July 17.
Offline appeals may be submitted at the community administrative welfare center — or resident center or township office — in the applicant's area of residence. Because July 17, Constitution Day, is a public holiday, the offline appeal deadline is 6 p.m. on July 16, one day earlier.
Recipients who prefer payment via credit or debit card may apply through their card issuer's website, app, call center or automated phone service, or by visiting a bank branch affiliated with their card.
Those who want the fund loaded onto a mobile or card-type local love gift voucher may apply online through the local government's gift voucher website or app. Those who prefer a paper voucher or prepaid card may apply in person at the community administrative welfare center in their area.
The fund must be spent by midnight on Aug. 31. Any unused balance after that date will be reclaimed by the central and local governments.
As of Thursday, 6.08 trillion won ($3.93 billion) had been disbursed to 35,186,628 people — 97.36 percent of the combined first- and second-round eligible recipients.
By region, South Gyeongsang Province and South Jeolla Province recorded the highest application and disbursement rates at 98.51 percent each, followed by Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province at 98.25 percent.
To assist elderly or mobility-impaired residents with limited access, local government officials are conducting door-to-door visits to take applications and deliver the fund directly.
"I urge all citizens who have not yet applied to do so by July 3," said Yun Ho-jung, minister of the Ministry of Interior and Safety. "We will work closely with local governments to actively expand door-to-door applications and strengthen outreach so that not a single person is left out."
thlee@heraldcorp.com
