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Korea plans cash relief handout for 70% of public, some foreigners eligible

Published: 11 Apr. 2026, 15:58 Updated: 12 Apr. 2026, 15:47

JIN MIN-JI
[email protected]

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, center, gives a speech at the cabinet meeting at government complex in central Seoul on April 11. [NEWS1]

The government will provide cash support to 70 percent of the population to offset the impact of rising living costs linked to the Middle East conflict. A range of 100,000 won and up to 600,000 won ($68 up to $405) will be provided per person. Foreign nationals will also be eligible under specific conditions.

The government on Saturday announced its plan on high oil relief payment at the government complex in central Seoul, in a joint briefing with relevant agencies.

Support will first be provided to vulnerable groups, including basic livelihood security recipients and single-parent families, starting on April 27. The remaining 70 percent of the population will receive payments in phases from May 18 to July 3, based on income and other eligibility criteria.

Eligibility for the relief payment was determined based on March 30 data, the day before the supplementary budget was approved at a Cabinet meeting. About 32.56 million people, representing the bottom 70 percent of income earners, will receive the benefit.

Basic livelihood security recipients will receive 550,000 won, while near-poor households and single-parent families will receive 450,000 won. An additional 50,000 won per person will be provided to recipients living outside the Seoul metropolitan area or in population-declining regions.

A delivery rider refuels at a gas station in Seoul on the first day of the third phase of the oil price ceiling system on April 10. [NEWS1]

For the remaining 70 percent of the population, payment amounts will vary by region: 100,000 won for residents in the Seoul metropolitan area, 150,000 won for those outside the capital region, 200,000 won for preferential support areas within population-declining regions, and 250,000 won for specially designated support areas within population-declining regions.

In principle, foreigners are excluded from eligibility. But exceptions are made for those who are listed on a resident registration record that includes at least one Korean national, and who are either enrolled in the National Health Insurance System as subscribers, dependents, or are recipients of medical benefits. Households composed entirely of foreign nationals are also eligible provided that a permanent resident (F-5), marriage migrant (F-6), or recognized refugee (F-2-4) is enrolled in National Health Insurance as a subscriber or dependent, or is a medical benefits recipient.

Korean nationals who were staying abroad and return to Korea between March 30 and July 17 may receive the payment by filing an objection within the appeal period, which ends on July 17.

Applications and payments for the relief funds will be carried out in two phases. Basic livelihood security recipients, near-poor households, and single-parent families will be able to apply and receive payments during the first phase, from April 27 to May 8, through both online and offline channels.

Those who fail to apply during the first phase, as well as the remaining 70 percent of the population, will be able to apply for and receive the payment during the second phase, from May 18 to July 3. For minors, applications and payments are generally made by the head of household listed on the resident registration, though minors may apply directly if there are no adult household members.

A customer shops for pork in a supermarket in Seoul on April 9. [NEWS1]

Online applications will be available 24 hours a day throughout the application and payment periods. Offline applications can be submitted on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. or until 4 p.m. at bank branches.

To prevent congestion and system overload during the first week of applications, a birth-year-based staggered system will be applied. For offline applications, the system may be extended depending on local conditions. For the first payment phase starting on April 27, and given that Labor Day on Friday, May, 1 is a public holiday, those with birth-year ends of 4 and 9 — as well as 5 and 0 — will also be eligible to apply on Thursday, April 30.

Credit and debit card payments can be applied for through card company websites and apps, call centers, ARS systems, or bank branches. Applications are also available via simple payment apps such as KakaoBank, Toss, and Naver Pay. Funds will be credited the day after application and will be used on a priority basis for payments.

Local gift certificates can be applied for through local government apps or community centers, with issuance made the day after application. Paper vouchers and prepaid cards can be applied for and received at community centers. The usage deadline for both the first and second phases is August 31.

Earlier in the day, the government held an extraordinary Cabinet meeting at the Government Seoul Complex chaired by Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, where it reviewed and approved a supplementary budget worth 26.2 trillion won that had passed the National Assembly the previous day. Of this, 4.8 trillion won has been allocated to the high oil price relief support program.

The supplementary budget also includes 4.2 trillion won in funding for a ceiling price subsidy system aimed at stabilizing energy supply and demand. It further sets aside funds to temporarily discount the K-Pass public transportation refund program by 50 percent, as well as to support the price gap for naphtha imports, among other measures to address supply and demand pressures.

Additional funding has been earmarked to provide fuel subsidies linked to oil prices for farmers and fishers, and to ease fuel cost burdens for coastal passenger ferry operators.

“We must accelerate the finalization and implementation of project plans so that the effects of the supplementary budget can be felt as quickly as possible,” Kim said.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

BY JANG GU-SEUL, JIN MIN-JI [[email protected]]