Gyeonggi Province to Provide Disaster Basic Income to Foreigners in May

[Suwon Ilbo=Park No-hun] Gyeonggi Province announced on the 20th that it will provide disaster basic income to foreign residents including marriage immigrants and permanent residents. The recipients include approximately 48,000 marriage immigrants and approximately 61,000 permanent residents in Gyeonggi Province, totaling approximately 109,000 people.

Previously, the province excluded foreigners from the recipients when announcing the implementation of Gyeonggi Province disaster basic income on the 24th of last month. However, following support requests from migrant organizations and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the province reconsidered whether to provide support to foreigners.
The province considered that marriage immigrants have strong connections with Korean nationals and high possibilities of acquiring Korean nationality or obtaining permanent residency, and that the province also has responsibilities for supporting multicultural families under the Multicultural Families Support Act. For permanent residents, the province determined that providing disaster basic income is appropriate as they possess residents' rights such as voting rights in local elections and referendum rights.

The province plans to provide 100,000 won per person to residents using prepaid cards, with applications and distribution to take place at each ward, township, and village administrative welfare center under the jurisdiction of the place of residence after mid-May. Once the card is issued, it is expected to be usable from late May onward after approval procedures within 3 to 5 days. However, applications cannot be made at agricultural cooperative branches since confirmation through the foreign resident information system is necessary.

To implement this, the province plans to consult with the Ministry of Justice this week regarding the use of the foreign resident information sharing system and then gather opinions from municipalities on their participation.

Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung explained through social media on the 19th, "I was not without concerns about this issue from the beginning, but since disaster basic income is an urgent matter requiring speed, we could not delay time due to detailed reviews and controversies."
He added, "After legal procedures such as ordinance amendments by Gyeonggi Province and each municipality, system maintenance, and confirmation of beneficiaries, I will ensure that municipal disaster basic income determined by municipalities is paid simultaneously in aggregate at a certain point in time."

Meanwhile, the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly has also undertaken amendments to the 'Gyeonggi Province Disaster Basic Income Payment Ordinance' to enable foreigners in the province to receive disaster basic income. The current ordinance limits the recipients of disaster basic income to 'Gyeonggi Province residents,' so marriage immigrants and permanent residents need to be added.

The Safety and Administration Committee of the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly will propose amendments to the 'Gyeonggi Province Disaster Basic Income Payment Ordinance' containing such details as an urgent agenda at the 343rd extraordinary session of the provincial assembly, which begins on the 21st. The amended ordinance is expected to be voted on by the Safety and Administration Committee on the 23rd and finalized at the plenary session on the 29th.