The government decided to expand "Just Dream," which provides food and daily necessities, from 69 to 150 locations by the first half of next year to strengthen basic food support. It will also push to support heating facility replacements for 3,000 households receiving briquette coupons.
On the 31st, the government held the ministers' meeting on the economy and the growth strategy task force (TF) and announced a "winter support and safety management plan for vulnerable groups."
The decision comes amid a judgment that the difficulties of vulnerable groups have grown as rising food and petroleum prices, heating bill burdens due to cold snaps, and year-end and New Year safety risks have overlapped.
First, the government will curb public utility rate hike factors as much as possible by cutting costs and improving productivity, and if unavoidable, will spread out or defer the timing of increases to lower household burdens. Ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, it will hold discount events for agricultural, livestock, and fishery products, and strengthen quarantine measures such as blocking the spread of avian influenza (AI) to stabilize egg supplies.
To ease the energy expense burden, vulnerable groups such as people with disabilities, those who rendered distinguished service to the state, and basic livelihood security recipients will get up to 16,000 won off their monthly electricity bills and up to 148,000 won off city gas bills.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and big data will be actively used to close welfare blind spots. By analyzing early warning signs such as power or water cutoffs and overdue telecommunications bills, about 300,000 households at welfare risk will be newly identified, and for people experiencing homelessness, the criteria for selecting medical aid recipients will be eased and application procedures simplified.
When cold wave or heavy snow advisories are issued, care supporters will check in frequently on vulnerable seniors and provide support for dementia screening and treatment management costs. To prevent dementia patients from going missing in winter, the distribution of wandering detectors will also be expanded.
Year-end and New Year safety management will also be strengthened. The government designated through Jan. 4 next year as a "special countermeasure period for year-end and New Year crowds," and selected 373 sunset and sunrise spots across 17 cities and provinces nationwide for management. Among them, nine have been designated as priority management areas to strengthen on-site response.
In addition, during the year-end and New Year period, the Lunar New Year holiday, and cold snaps, fire departments will conduct special standby operations, alongside special inspections of fire-prone markets.
A government official said, "Focusing on key tasks for the first quarter, relevant ministries will respond jointly to provide thorough support across all aspects of life for vulnerable groups during the winter."