Emergency welfare aid

If Korean citizens have difficulty subsisting due to a sudden crisis, they can receive temporary support such as living costs. Foreigners can also benefit under this system according to ordinances.

• Qualifications

  Qualifications of foreign residents for emergency welfare aid (Article 5-2 of the Emergency Aid and Support Act)

  • Foreign residents who are married to Korean citizens
  • Foreign residents who have divorced from Korean spouses or whose spouses are dead, and who are taking care of the parents or children of Korean spouses
  • Foreign residents who are deemed refugees in accordance with Paragraph 2, Article 2 of the National Refugee Law
  • Foreign residents who have been victims of fire, crime, or natural disaster through no fault of their own
  • Foreign residents who are deemed as requiring emergency support by the Minister of Health and Welfare as follows:
    - Foreign residents who are victims of disaster through no fault of their own
    - Foreign residents visiting the country for humanitarian purposes in accordance with Paragraph 3, Article 2 of the National Refugee Law

• Emergency Cases

  • Loss of income occurring due to the death of the main income earner, runaway/abandonment, missing person, detention, etc.
  • Serious illness or injury
  • Neglect, abandonment or abuse by a member of the family
  • Household violence or sexual violence
  • Unable to live in house or building due to fire
  • Reasons related to regulations of the local government under the Ordinance of the Ministry of Health and Welfare
  • In addition, as notified by the Minister of the Health and Welfare,
    ① divorce from the main income earner
    ② suspension of power supply
    ③ closure or suspension of business of the main earner
    ④ difficulty maintaining livelihood due to loss of job of the main earner
    ⑤ difficulty maintaining livelihood for prisoner after release
    ⑥ homelessness due to neglect, abandonment, or other difficulty

• Income and property standard conditions

  • Income: Less than 75% of the standard median monthly income
    

    1 person- 1,280,256 / 2 person- 2,179,896 / 3 person-2,820,024 / 4 person- 3,460,152 / 5 person- 4,100,280 / 6 person- 4,740,408 / 7- 5,380,536(KRW/Month)

  • Property standard: Big city (188,000,000 won), small or medium-sized city (118,000,000 won), farming and fishing villages (101,000,000 won)
  • Financial property: 5 million won or less (7 million won or less in case of housing support)

• Support details

  For a family with four members, the followings shall be provided: KRW 1,170,400 (for living costs), KRW 643,200 (for housing expenses), KRW 1,450,500 (for welfare facility fees), and KRW 3million (for medical expenses/case)

  ※ Additional benefits include education subsidies, fuel subsidies (from October to March), childbirth subsidies, funeral subsidies, electrical fee subsidies, etc.

• How to apply

  In the event of an emergency, inquire at corresponding branch offices of your city, gun, gu, eup, myeon or dong, or the Call Center of the Ministry for Health, Welfare, and Family Affairs (☎ 129).

  • Public officers will conduct a field investigation, provide aid, and conduct a second review. If the results of the second review determine that the applicant no longer needs or qualifies for support, support is discontinued and the funds may have to be returned.
  • If emergency situations do not improve after emergency welfare program is completed, beneficiaries may be transferred to the related national aid systems or private welfare programs.

• Inquiries

  Contact the relevant department in the competent si, gun, gu, eup, myeon or dong
  or the Health and Welfare Counseling Center (129)