Ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, the government will pay major welfare benefits, including livelihood benefits, one week earlier than the regular payment date (the 20th of each month) in order to ease the financial burden on vulnerable groups.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on the 8th that on the 13th, before the holiday, it will make early payments for a total of 28 types of welfare benefits, including livelihood and housing benefits. The measure aims to reduce the financial burden during a period when pre-holiday spending, such as purchases for ancestral rites, increases among low-income households and to help them prepare for the holiday more stably.

The early-payment items cover 28 types of benefits administered by four government bodies: the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, and the Overseas Koreans Agency. They include basic livelihood benefits, housing benefits, the disability allowance·disability pension, child-rearing allowances for single-parent families, the self-reliance allowance for young adults preparing for independence, and support for Sakhalin Koreans.

The scale of recipients is as follows: 1,385,571 households for livelihood benefits, 1,473,136 households for housing benefits, 155,000 households for single-parent family support, and 795,225 people for the disability allowance·disability pension, among others. The government estimated that this measure will release welfare benefits totaling about 1.4 trillion won. It is expected to help low-income households prepare for the holiday more stably, including purchasing items for ancestral rites, and to contribute to revitalizing local commercial districts. The Ministry of Health and Welfare stated that, in cooperation with local governments, it is providing guidance via text messages, phone calls, and on-site visits so that beneficiaries can be informed of the payment schedule in advance.

Minister of Health and Welfare Jeong Eun-Kyeong expressed hope that the early payments would ease, even slightly, the financial burden on vulnerable groups ahead of Lunar New Year and help them spend a warmer holiday, and added that the ministry will continue to pursue field-centered welfare policies that provide practical help in daily life.