Kim Dong-yeon: "Heating Bills Are Essential Costs Linked to Survival for Vulnerable Groups"

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Kim Gap-dong] Gyeonggi Province has launched emergency support for the "heating-vulnerable groups" facing increased heating bills due to the prolonged cold wave.

This follows Governor Kim Dong-yeon's directive to "provide heating bills—which are essential costs linked to survival for vulnerable groups—as quickly and carefully as possible to help residents endure the cold winter," emphasizing that "heating bills are essential costs directly linked to survival for vulnerable groups."

Governor Kim stated at a press meeting held at the Provincial Government Building's Danwon Hall on the 2nd: "Gyeonggi Province's policy goal is first, second, and third—that all residents feel improvement in their lives—and we will certainly reduce living expenses so that all residents can tangibly feel positive changes in their daily lives."

This heating bill support represents the first concrete measure taken by Governor Kim following his pledge of "Plus Gyeonggi in My Life" during the New Year press meeting.

Support will be provided in three directions to eliminate "heating blind spots" in the cold wave.

The province will provide 50,000 won in cash for heating bills to 340,000 heating-vulnerable households, including 285,698 basic livelihood security recipient households and 55,832 near-poor households with addresses in Gyeonggi Province.

Funds will be deposited directly into individual household accounts. Households holding regular bank accounts and receiving cash-based benefits will receive the 50,000 won automatically by municipal and county offices without separate application. However, households using deposit protection accounts or lacking registered account information must go through account verification or application procedures at their local administrative welfare centers in their districts, towns, or neighborhoods.

Additionally, heating bill support will be provided to homeless individuals directly exposed to the cold wave for the first time. Homeless facilities will receive between 600,000 won and 2 million won per facility depending on facility size.

The province previously supported heating bills of 14.4 billion won to 287,193 vulnerable households from January to February last year. This is the first heating bill support for homeless facilities. While maintaining existing policies, the province has expanded the scope of support recipients, increasing the overall support scale. Apart from this emergency support, assistance to elderly and disabled households will continue. Elderly and disabled households are permanent support targets.

The emergency heating bill support totals approximately 17.1 billion won. Funding will be sourced entirely from the province's disaster relief fund, and recipients can benefit from this heating bill support even if they receive benefits from the government's energy voucher program or public utility discounts.

The province plans to push forward heating bill support rapidly.

The province plans to send funding to municipalities and counties first on the 6th to support homeless facilities. Heating bills for basic livelihood security recipients and near-poor households are scheduled to be distributed sequentially by each municipality and county starting the 12th, with execution proceeding as verification of support targets and accounts is completed.

The province is currently collaborating with municipalities, counties, and local administrative units to select beneficiaries and verify accounts in parallel. A meeting with provincial and municipal/county department chiefs will be held on the 5th to share detailed operational guidelines and establish on-site implementation support systems.