This image is unrelated to the article. [Newsis]
This image is unrelated to the article. [Newsis]

With Chuseok approaching, several local governments are moving quickly to distribute livelihood support payments. To revive consumer spending dampened by high prices and an economic slowdown, they are issuing 300,000 to 500,000 won ($350) per person in the form of local currency vouchers or prepaid cards.

Uiryeong-gun in South Gyeongsang Province will pay 500,000 won per resident. Eligibility extends to roughly 24,600 people — including marriage immigrants and permanent residents — who were registered in the county as of June 30. The total project cost is 12.5 billion won, and payments will be made in Uiryeong Love gift vouchers (paper form).

Applications open Monday and run through Sept. 11. Residents can apply at the community center in their registered district and receive the vouchers on the spot. The vouchers are valid through Dec. 31. During the first week of the application period, the county will operate a birth-year digit-based scheduling system to manage crowds, and home-visit application services will be available for residents with mobility difficulties.

"The livelihood support payment fulfills a promise made to residents and is the signature welfare policy of the ninth elected administration," county chief Oh Tae-wan said. "We will push ahead without a hitch so that residents can feel the policy's impact firsthand and it contributes to the recovery of the local economy."

Yeongdong-gun in North Chungcheong Province will also use its own budget to issue a second round of livelihood support payments of 300,000 won per resident. Recipients must have been continuously registered and residing in the county as of July 1.

Applications will be accepted from Aug. 17 through Oct. 2, either in person at the local administrative welfare center or online. Payments in local gift vouchers will be distributed on a rolling basis starting Sept. 1 and will remain valid through the end of this year.

Yeongdong-gun issued a first-round payment of 500,000 won per resident in January. "This livelihood support payment goes beyond a one-time handout — it is the first step toward a rural basic income system, in which we actually operate and test a county-wide local currency distribution framework," a county official said. "We will ensure the payments flow into local consumption and bring vitality to small businesses and neighborhood commercial districts."

Wanju-gun in North Jeolla Province will also distribute 300,000 won per resident before Chuseok. About 105,000 people — including marriage immigrants and permanent residents registered in the county as of July 31 — are eligible.

Applications open Sept. 8 at township administrative welfare centers and civil affairs centers. Payments will be issued as prepaid cards usable within the county and will be valid through Dec. 31.

"I hope the payments serve as a catalyst for stabilizing the livelihoods of residents struggling with high prices and for revitalizing the local economy," county chief Yoo Hui-tae said. "We will do everything we can to ensure residents receive their payments without any inconvenience."


betterj@heraldcorp.com