Gyeonggi Province Surpasses 80% Application Rate for Fuel Price Damage Relief Fund in First Week of Second Phase

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Kim Kap-dong] Gyeonggi Province has exceeded an 80% application rate for the second phase of the 'Fuel Price Damage Relief Fund' just one week after opening applications.

According to the province on the 25th, following the start of second phase applications on May 18, as of 12:00 PM on the 24th, 7.515 million people had applied out of a total of 9.296 million eligible recipients within the province, recording an 80.8% application rate.

Among these, first phase eligible recipients saw 596,000 applications out of 634,000 total, representing 94% disbursement, while second phase eligible recipients saw 6.919 million applications out of 8.666 million, with 79.9% disbursement completed. Total relief funds disbursed to date amount to 1.0185 trillion won.

By city and county, Osan City (83.4%), Hwaseong City (83.1%), and Gimpo City (82.3%) showed the highest application rates. By application method, credit and debit cards accounted for the largest share at 5.58 million applications, followed by Gyeonggi Regional Currency (1.55 million) and prepaid cards (380,000).

The application deadline for the second phase fuel price damage relief fund, targeting the bottom 70% of income earners, is July 3. First phase eligible recipients, which include basic livelihood security recipients, near-poor household members, and single-parent families (applications began April 27), can also apply until July 3.

Funds can be used at small merchant stores with annual sales of 3 billion won or less within the jurisdiction of applicants' residential areas. However, in line with the purpose of alleviating fuel cost burdens, gas stations and some Hanaro Marts in rural read and township areas are available for use regardless of sales scale.

The fund usage deadline is August 31 (Monday), and any remaining balance not used by the deadline will be forfeited in full, requiring attention.