Photo : YONHAP News
The government will begin its second round of payments to the bottom 70 percent of income earners on Monday, aiming to ease the burden on households as global oil prices continue to rise amid the crisis in the Middle East.
The Interior Ministry said Sunday that payments will range from 100-thousand won, or about 67 U.S. dollars, to 250-thousand won per person. Higher amounts will go to residents outside the capital region or those living in areas experiencing population decline.
About 36 million people will be eligible, based on household national health insurance contributions as of March 2026. The first round of payments went to single parents, people near the poverty line and recipients of basic social assistance.
Households will be excluded if any member had a property tax base exceeding one-point-two billion won in 2025 or total financial income above 20 million won in 2024. Roughly two-point-five million people are expected to fall under these exclusion criteria.
Applications will be accepted online and offline from May 18 through July 3.
The assistance will be provided through prepaid cards, regional gift certificates or credits applied to recipients’ credit cards, and will be valid through August 31.