Incheon will provide an additional 50,000 won each to some 220,000 vulnerable residents starting Wednesday. The city is using its own budget to make up for the shortfall in the central government's high-oil-price subsidy, which allocated less to Incheon than to non-metropolitan regions.
According to the city, more than 90% of the roughly 220,000 eligible recipients submitted applications during the first round, which ran from May 27 and closed on the 8th. Basic livelihood recipients, the near-poor class, and single-parent families are eligible. Notably, 57% of applicants chose to receive the payment via the e-eum card, outpacing credit and debit cards (43%) by 14 percentage points.
The Incheon-style subsidy can only be received through the e-eum card. Residents can apply anytime by downloading the "Incheon e-eum" app, while those who have difficulty using smartphones can visit their neighborhood administrative welfare center. However, to prevent congestion, a weekday rotation system based on the last digit of birth year will be in effect through the 22nd. Those whose birth year ends in 1 or 6 apply on Monday, 2 or 7 on Tuesday, 3 or 8 on Wednesday, 4 or 9 on Thursday, and 5 or 0 on Friday, with no restrictions on weekends. From the 23rd, anyone may apply regardless of the day.
The second round of applications runs from the 18th to July 3. It is open to households in the bottom 70% by income and those who missed the first round. Applicants can sign up for a credit or debit card through card company websites or bank branches, or receive an e-eum card via the app or administrative welfare centers. Applications for the Incheon-style subsidy run from today through July 3, while the second-round subsidy applications run from May 18 to July 3. The deadline for using the funds is August 31.
Elderly residents living alone or people with disabilities can simply call their local administrative welfare center. A responsible public official will visit their home to handle everything from paperwork to card delivery in one visit. However, those with family members living with them who can apply on their behalf are excluded from this service.
Meanwhile, the city is continuously monitoring secondhand trading platforms to prevent illegal cash conversion of the subsidy and plans to respond strongly to any violations.
