Home > National > Social Affairs

Over 70% apply for oil price relief just four days after launch

Published: 01 May. 2026, 17:16

A gas station in Seoul on April 30. [YONHAP]

More than 70 percent of people eligible for financial assistance related to high oil prices have applied for the benefits, just four days after the program was launched, government data showed Friday.

As of midnight Thursday, 2.4 million people, or 73.1 percent of 3.2 million eligible people, had submitted claims for the first round of payments, according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

A total of 1.34 trillion won ($980 million) has already been paid out.

Credit and debit cards were the most widely used methods through which recipients received the relief, accounting for 41.7 percent of applications, followed by prepaid cards at 34.5 percent.

Mobile and card-based local gift certificates made up 20.9 percent, while paper vouchers accounted for 2.8 percent.

Application rates were highest in southern regions, with 79.3 percent of eligible people applying in South Jeolla, followed by Busan at 77.7 percent and Gwangju at 76.9 percent.

The first round of payments is open to applications from vulnerable groups, including basic welfare recipients, households just over the poverty line and single-parent families.

Individuals receiving basic welfare assistance are eligible for 550,000 won each, while people in the other two categories are entitled to 450,000 won.

Recipients living outside the Seoul metropolitan area or in regions facing population decline are eligible for an additional 50,000 won per person.

Applications for the first round will be accepted through May 8, the ministry 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 JEONG HYE-JEONG [[email protected]]