The president of the Gyeongnam Hapcheon Farmers' Union, Yeohan-hoon, noted, "Although they provided a lot of living support funds in rural areas, there are not many places to actually use them. There are no restaurants nearby for dining out, and to use it at 'Hanni Mart,' I have to take a 50-minute bus ride, and then I am told, 'You cannot use living support funds here.' I've heard they disappear after a deadline, so I wonder if I will be able to spend all of it."
There are concerns that the living recovery support fund (consumption coupons), issued by the government to support consumption recovery and small business owners, has limited usage, making it difficult to utilize effectively in rural areas. While the government has allowed the use of the consumption coupons at 'Hanni Mart' in some rural townships considering local conditions, the criteria for using the consumption coupons at 'Hanni Mart' have been restricted to areas where there are no other marts nearby, diminishing its practicality. Voices calling for the improvement of the living recovery support fund system, taking into account the conditions in rural areas, have been raised.
According to related departments on the 8th, the government distributed 200,000 won in living recovery support funds per person to residents of rural areas facing population decline. This is 50,000 won more than what was given to residents in the metropolitan area.
However, many rural residents are reportedly struggling to use the living recovery support funds. Compared to cities, there is an absolute lack of living and convenience facilities, making it difficult to use the living recovery support funds due to the scarcity of commercial facilities.
Moreover, while preparing a supplementary budget, the government proposed the criterion for the usage of the living recovery support fund as 'annual sales of 3 billion won or less.' This means that the living recovery support funds cannot be used at stores with annual sales exceeding 3 billion won. Due to this criterion, many agricultural material sales stores in rural areas, 'Hanni Mart,' and NongHyup gas stations often cannot use the living recovery support funds.
The government has also acknowledged the issue of usage locations in rural areas in advance and allowed the use of living recovery support funds at 121 'Hanni Mart' locations where there are no nearby marts or supermarkets. However, in rural areas, it has been stated that it is challenging for the elderly to accurately determine beforehand whether they can use the living recovery support funds at the nearest 'Hanni Mart' to their residence.
Recently, there have been calls in areas affected by flood damage caused by heavy rain to significantly relax the usage conditions for the living recovery support funds to allow the purchase of appliances or blankets. Most small appliance retailers have disappeared, leaving only large companies and online retailers, making it very difficult to use living recovery support funds to buy appliances.
Yeohan-hoon stated, "My neighbors thought they could use the consumption coupons and bought more than usual, but it did not go through as payment with the support fund, increasing the household burden," and added, "In urban areas, there are many places to spend it, but that is not the case in rural areas. I wish they would allow the use of it at the NongHyup gas stations, at least for fuel," He continued, "Last month, the damage from the floods was severe. There are many items, including appliances, that need to be purchased anew," and he added, "It would be nice if we could use the living support funds for such expenditures."
Choi Beom-jin, the policy coordination office director of the Korea Future Agricultural Management Central Association, said, "Elderly people living in rural areas hardly ever have opportunities to dine out like city residents. Transportation is also poor, making it difficult to go grocery shopping," and expressed concern, saying, "The deadline for using the living recovery support funds is until November 30, and I worry that they won't be able to use all the funds by then."
A Ministry of Economy and Finance official noted, "It seems necessary to actively consider opinions on expanding the usage of living recovery support funds for special disaster areas suffering from wildfires and flood damage," adding, "We will discuss this with relevant departments such as the Ministry of the Interior and Safety."