Nationality means little when it comes to the ‘Corona Blues.’
Along with the psychological damage caused by social distancing, difficulties in daily life are something that everyone is experiencing.
Foreigners living in Korea are no exception to the Corona Blues.
The government is working to resolve this social crisis, but there is no specific policy for foreign residents of Korea, so they are being marginalized.
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| ⓒGyeonggi Province |
“What is emergency welfare?”
Emergency welfare refers to basic support one needs for necessities.
In particular, it includes initiatives that provide basic medical care and housing needed for survival in the face of social crises such as COVID-19.
Not only has the virus spread quickly, there have also many trials and errors before related policies were implemented, so this initiative represents an effort to incorporate marginalized social groups.
It was previously limited to multicultural families and married immigrants with Korean nationality, but with this expansion, foreign workers can also benefit.
This is an opportunity to receive help from the government in an emergency situation.
Localities in Gyeonggi Province that are implementing the initiative this year are Suwon City, Seongnam City, Bucheon City, Yongin City, Siheung City, Pyeongtaek City, and Pocheon City. The project reportedly began with a proposal made by Suwon City last year.
“Who is eligible for emergency welfare support?”
There are approximately 560,000 foreigners living in Gyeonggi Province.
Among them, only about 40,000 were eligible to receive existing emergency welfare support, which is a remarkably low ratio.
To address this issue, Gyeonggi Province announced a policy to support living expenses for foreign workers who earn less than 75% of the standard median income. This includes medical and childbirth expenses as originally slated.
However, the recipient must be a registered resident of
Gyeonggi Province who has lived in Gyeonggi Province for at least 90 days and has
submitted related supporting documents.
Emergency welfare for foreigners consists of three items: living expenses, medical expenses, and childbirth expenses.
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| ⓒGyeonggi Province |
For a single-person household, the monthly income must be KRW
1.37 million or less.
For a two-person household, it must be KRW 2,316,000 or
less.
For a three-person household, it must be KRW 2,987,000 or
less.
The above are the standards for level of income.
If your income exceeds the amounts listed above, you are
not eligible to receive support.
Among the three items, the standard of support for living expenses is noteworthy. It applies to cases where the member of a foreign family who was the main provider suddenly becomes unemployed, fails in business, goes missing, or passes away.
If you do not pay your utility bills for 3 months, your water, gas, and electricity will be cut off. If this applies to you, you can receive support from your local government.
In addition, actual medical expenses of up to KRW 1 million per person can be subsidized upon provision of supporting documentation.
Expenses stemming from childbirth (planned) of up to KRW 500,000 per person and KRW 800,000 for twins can be subsidized.
In Gyeonggi Province, applications were reportedly received from 8 regions including Suwon City and Yongin City, and KRW 99 million was allocated.
Once support begins, it is expected that foreigners from low-income families will see their burdens incrementally eased.
With global exchanges becoming increasingly active, we
look forward to Gyeonggi Province’s efforts to prevent blind spots in emergency
welfare.
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