Gyeonggi Province to Distribute Second Round of Disaster Basic Income, 100,000 Won Per Resident

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hun] To overcome the economic crisis caused by COVID-19, Gyeonggi Province will distribute 100,000 won per person to all residents this year as well, regardless of age, occupation, or income—the "second round of disaster basic income," following the distribution last year.

Governor Lee Jae-myung announced on the 20th at Gyeonggi Provincial Government the "Second Gyeonggi Province Disaster Basic Income Distribution Report to Residents," stating, "Until COVID-19 is completely eradicated, there will continue to be 4th, 5th, and N-th waves of transmission in the future, and the resulting economic difficulties will also intensify." He added, "Therefore, both public health quarantine to end COVID-19 and economic quarantine to prevent economic deterioration are not a matter of priority but important tasks that must be solved harmoniously and simultaneously."

Accordingly, the province plans to distribute 100,000 won per resident in the form of expiring regional currency. The distribution targets include approximately 13.99 million people, comprising 13.41 million domestic citizens and 580,000 registered foreigners and those who have reported domestic residence.

The required funds total 1.4035 trillion won, consisting of 1.3998 trillion won for disaster basic income distribution and 37 billion won in related expenses. The funds are planned to be secured through 825.5 billion won from the regional development fund, 538 billion won from the integrated fiscal stabilization fund, and 40 billion won from the disaster management fund and disaster relief fund.

Distribution recipients are Gyeonggi Province residents who have resident registration in Gyeonggi Province as of 24:00 on January 19, 2021. Fetuses as of the standard date may exceptionally apply after birth if their father or mother was a Gyeonggi Province resident on the standard date. For foreigners, unlike the first disaster basic income which was only provided to marriage immigrants and permanent residents, all registered foreigners as well as foreign nationals with domestic residence reporting can receive the payment.

Applications will proceed through both online and on-site methods, as with the first disaster basic income, and application deadlines and usage periods are in principle identical to the first disaster basic income method. However, specific application methods and distribution timing have not yet been determined.

Governor Lee stated, "We respect the Democratic Party leadership's recommendation that local governments autonomously determine disaster support but adjust distribution timing according to quarantine conditions, and we plan to decide after carefully reviewing the COVID-19 situation and quarantine progress trends. The Gyeonggi Province position is that immediate distribution upon provincial assembly passage is necessary and poses no major issues, but the Democratic Party leadership's recommendations and concerns are also sufficiently understandable, so I will make a more prudent decision regarding the distribution timing."

He continued, "While carefully deciding the distribution timing, we will immediately inform residents as soon as it is decided and implement it as swiftly as possible. Given that many people are in urgent situations, we will make the decision at the earliest possible date without hindering quarantine efforts."