Gyeonggi Province Launches 6 Groundbreaking Welfare Policies Nationwide

# A 42-year-old single-person household resident in Siheung City, referred to as A, was even considering an extreme choice before recently encountering the 'Gyeonggi Super Low-Credit Loan' and was able to return to normal life.

B was laid off from a restaurant kitchen job last year due to COVID-19, resulting in six months without income, and debts snowballed through credit card juggling.

While suffering from panic disorder due to repeated debt collection notices, B applied for the Gyeonggi Super Low-Credit Loan, which provides low-interest loans of up to 3 million won to residents with poor credit ratings. As debts began to be settled, B regained stability in life and is now actively job hunting.

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hun] Gyeonggi Province announced on the 1st that it is implementing various policies to realize "a welfare Gyeonggi Province that guarantees the basics of life," and 6 of these are policies being promoted for the first time nationwide.

The 'Gyeonggi Free Food Corner,' which opened in December of last year, is a prime example.

All residents can receive food and daily necessities at 3 food markets in Seongnam, Pyeongtaek, and Gwangmyeong, 33 welfare centers, and 7 homeless facilities.

Introduced nationwide for the first time to prevent survival-driven crimes such as the so-called "COVID Jean Valjean" cases where people resort to crime due to lack of basic food, the 43 locations are visited by approximately 800 people daily. With high policy resonance, donations (in-kind) totaling approximately 1.05 billion won have been received.

'Youth Basic Income' and 'Military Service Injury Insurance Support for Gyeonggi Youth' are also initiatives first promoted by Gyeonggi Province as provincial government policies.

Youth Basic Income, first distributed in May 2019, provides 250,000 won per quarter to residents aged 24. It is distinguished from other local governments' youth welfare policies through its universal, unconditional, and individual nature.

Approximately 140,000 young people (application rate exceeding 95%) consistently apply each quarter, and according to a December policy effect analysis by the Gyeonggi Research Institute, Youth Basic Income has demonstrated a positive impact on mental health, exercise frequency, and diet, thereby increasing happiness.

Gyeonggi Province introduced the Military Service Injury Insurance Support program for young soldiers and their families in November 2018 as part of establishing a social safety net.

The structure involves providing annual insurance premium support of 38,000 won to approximately 105,000 young residents serving in the military, automatically enrolling them in injury insurance.

Insurance coverage amounts reach 200,000 won for surgery due to injury or illness, and 30 million won in case of death from injury or illness. As of the end of last year, the total insurance benefit amount to approximately 3,000 people was approximately 3.18 billion won.

The 'Gyeonggi Super Low-Credit Loan,' first recruited nationwide in April of last year, is a program that provides low-interest loans at an annual rate of 1% with a 5-year maturity of up to 3 million won to residents with poor credit ratings after review.

Residents with poor credit ratings who find it difficult to obtain loans from mainstream financial institutions such as banks often resort to illegal private financing even for small amounts, which can lead to damage from high interest rates and illegal debt collection.

Accordingly, the province operates loan services by applicant type, including loans for illegal private financing victims, credit crisis youth loans, and survival crisis loans.

By the first half of this year, a total of approximately 72,000 people received loans totaling approximately 65.6 billion won.

The 'Gyeonggi Middle-Aged Happiness Campus,' which supports late-life planning, lifelong education, and reemployment for those in their 50s and 60s, officially opened in May at Kangnam University (Yongin) and Daejin University (Pocheon), respectively.

The creation of a comprehensive service space for the future of middle-aged people through collaboration with universities is the first nationwide.

A total of approximately 300 people participated in the first-half education program, with three barista trainees preparing for cafe openings, and further outcomes are anticipated.

Gyeonggi Province achieved the first nationwide construction of an information system (DB) and smart app development for facilities for people with disabilities in 2019.

Following pilot operations, the official launch is scheduled for this month, and upon distribution, users will be able to easily identify wheelchair obstacles such as ramps and stairs within shops.

The province plans not merely to distribute the app but also to link it to facility improvements and job creation (on-site survey personnel).

Moon Jeong-hee, Director of the Welfare Bureau of Gyeonggi Province, stated, "Gyeonggi Province is implementing various welfare policies to improve residents' quality of life, and we developed and promoted 6 welfare policies for the first time nationwide so that more residents can benefit," and added, "Going forward, we will continue to develop quality policies to realize a welfare Gyeonggi Province that guarantees the basics of life."