Kim Dong-yeon: "Heating costs are essential expenses directly linked to survival for vulnerable groups"

[Suwon Ilbo=Kim Gap-dong Reporter] Gyeonggi Province has launched emergency support measures to assist 'heating-vulnerable groups' facing increased heating cost burdens due to the prolonged cold wave.

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

At a New Year press conference held at the Provincial Government's Danwon Hall on the 2nd, Governor Kim emphasized, "Gyeonggi Province's policy goal is, first, second, and third—allowing all residents to tangibly feel an improved quality of life," and pledged, "We will definitely reduce living costs so all residents can feel changes in their daily lives."

This heating cost support marks the first visible measure taken following Governor Kim Dong-yeon's promise of 'My Life Plus Gyeonggi' at the New Year press conference.

The province will provide support in three directions to eliminate 'heating blind spots' amid the cold wave.

The province will provide 50,000 won in heating costs in cash to 340,000 heating-vulnerable households, including 285,698 households receiving basic living allowances and 55,832 near-poor households with addresses in Gyeonggi Province.

Payments will be deposited directly into individual household accounts. Households with general accounts receiving cash-basis benefits will receive 50,000 won by administrative authority of cities and counties without separate applications. However, households using dedicated garnishment-prevention accounts or those without registered account information must go through account verification or application procedures at their neighborhood administrative welfare centers.

Additionally, the province will provide heating cost support for the first time to homeless individuals directly exposed to the cold wave. Support will range from 600,000 to 2 million won per facility depending on the size of homeless facilities.

Last January through February, the province provided 14.4 billion won in heating costs to 287,193 vulnerable households. This is the first heating cost support for homeless facilities, and while maintaining existing policies, the support scope has expanded by widening eligible recipients. Separately from this emergency support, assistance for elderly and disabled households continues. Elderly and disabled households are regular support targets.

The scale of emergency heating cost support is approximately 17.1 billion won. Funds will be sourced entirely from provincial disaster relief funds, and recipients can receive this heating cost support even while benefiting from the government's energy vouchers and public utility reduction programs.

The province plans to implement heating cost support swiftly.

The province plans to send related funds for homeless facility support to cities and counties on the 6th. Heating costs for basic living allowance recipients and near-poor households are scheduled to be distributed sequentially by cities and counties starting the 12th, and will be executed upon completion of beneficiary and account verification.

The province is currently working with cities, counties, and neighborhood administrative units to screen beneficiaries and verify accounts in parallel. On the 5th, a province-city/county department head meeting will be held to share detailed operational guidelines and establish a field implementation support system.