Starting this month, some gas stations will display the prices of gasoline and diesel for the next day. This is to help consumers predict oil product prices and make reasonable purchases. The "next day's pricing display system" will be primarily introduced at 100 gas stations on highways.
On the 3rd, the government held a meeting of the Economic Relations Ministers and the Ministers for Enhancing Industrial Competitiveness, announcing the "2025 Plan for Improving Public Institution Services for Citizens." Last year, the government also improved 34 services, including expanding access to royal palaces and reducing train fares for pregnant women.
With this plan, starting this month, some gas stations on highways will announce the prices of gasoline and diesel for the next day. The gasoline and diesel prices at highway gas stations are determined based on the Singapore crude oil prices, which are finalized during weekdays from 4 to 5 p.m. KST. The gas stations will then add their own margins to announce the next day's prices. The government plans to increase the number of gas stations that disclose the next day's prices to 100 by the end of the year.
In the future, unpaid highway tolls can be settled immediately at nationwide convenience stores. Currently, non-contact payment methods, such as mobile applications, are available, but this expansion of face-to-face payment options aims to assist digital non-users who are not accustomed to using smartphones.
The government has also decided to provide real-time information on congestion in airport departure halls. It is currently difficult for passengers to determine how crowded the passenger departure area is due to the expected waiting times. As a result, the government plans to use private platforms like Naver to provide real-time airport congestion information by the second half of this year.
The system will be improved to allow students to take out student loans on weekends and holidays. Until now, student loans have been operated on weekdays aligned with university academic schedules. Students who balance studying and part-time jobs have requested to be able to apply for student loans on weekends, and this request has now been accepted. Consequently, college and graduate students will be able to apply for student loans anytime.
The processing period for jeonse lease applications by the Korea Land & Housing Corporation (LH) will be reduced from three weeks to one week. Previously, the preparation of the jeonse lease application documents and communication was completed manually, resulting in longer processing times. Because of this, there were cases where applicants could not proceed with contracts due to lengthy processing times after applying for available dwellings. By the second half of next year, the government plans to establish an online system that allows real-time tracking of the process from application to contract for jeonse leasing, while also shortening the processing time.
The government noted, "We will enhance the effectiveness of policies through periodic checks of improvement tasks," and added, "We will actively support inter-departmental work consultations and institutional improvements to ensure that the policies can be implemented without a hitch."