Suwon Special Metropolitan City to Apply Metropolitan-level Basic Asset Standards Starting January 13 Next Year

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Jung Jun-sung] Starting January 13 next year, when ‘Suwon Special Metropolitan City’ is launched, Suwon’s regional classification will change from ‘mid-sized city’ to ‘metropolitan city.’

Additionally, basic living allowance recipients in Suwon are expected to see a monthly increase of up to 280,000 won per household, and some medical aid recipients are expected to receive basic living allowance support, indicating expanded welfare coverage.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare amended basic asset-related notices on the 16th, including special metropolitan cities in the ‘metropolitan city’ category for regional classification of basic asset amounts in the National Basic Livelihood Security Program.

The upward adjustment of the ‘four special metropolitan cities’ basic asset amounts to ‘metropolitan city’ standards—which Mayor Yeom Tae-young of Suwon had consistently requested from the government—has finally been realized.

When the Ministry of Health and Welfare introduced the basic asset amount system for National Basic Livelihood Security recipients in 2003, only special cities and metropolitan cities were classified as ‘metropolitan cities,’ while general cities were classified as ‘mid-sized cities.’ The basic asset amount refers to the property value recognized as necessary to maintain a basic standard of living and excluded from income conversion.

Until now, cities with populations exceeding one million, including Suwon, had socioeconomic scales and living standards similar to ‘metropolitan cities,’ but when selecting welfare beneficiaries, they were classified as ‘mid-sized cities,’ resulting in lower basic asset amounts compared to metropolitan cities.

Under the current system, when selecting beneficiaries for basic livelihood security, property amounts are deducted by basic asset amounts according to city size: 69 million won for metropolitan cities, 42 million won for mid-sized cities, and 35 million won for rural areas. Cities with populations exceeding one million are also included in the ‘mid-sized city’ category, applying the same standards as basic local governments with populations of 500,000 to one million.

Due to these unreasonable standards, citizens in cities with populations exceeding one million faced discrimination: even with the same property value as citizens in metropolitan cities, they received smaller deductions in basic asset amounts, resulting in their exclusion from social welfare beneficiary eligibility or reduced benefit payments.

With this amendment to the notice, citizens of the four special metropolitan cities, including Suwon, can now be subject to standards equal to those applied to citizens of special cities and metropolitan cities.

The four special metropolitan city mayors, including Mayor Yeom Tae-young, held multiple meetings with government officials including the Prime Minister, the Minister of Health and Welfare, the Chairman of the Committee on Decentralization, the Vice Minister of Strategy and Finance, and Blue House officials to address reverse discrimination experienced by citizens in cities with populations exceeding one million, proposing that “notices regarding improved welfare beneficiary selection standards be amended.”

In July, they issued a joint statement in front of the Ministry of Health and Welfare building and held relay protests and rallies to urge the amendment to the notice.

The Presidential Committee on Decentralization deliberated and approved this as a ‘system improvement measure’ on July 23, noting that social welfare benefit standards do not align with the reality of cities with populations exceeding one million and that system improvement is necessary. The Ministry of Health and Welfare finally implemented the notice amendment.

A city official stated, “With the amendment to the Ministry of Health and Welfare notice, we can alleviate some of the reverse discrimination experienced by citizens in cities with populations exceeding one million,” adding, “We are also working to ensure that other benefits, such as basic pensions and disability pensions, have expanded asset standards.”