(LEAD) S. Korea to roll out 2nd cash aid to over 36 mln people amid Mideast crisis

▲ A sign installed outside a gas station in Gwangju, about 270 kilometers south of Seoul, says it accepts government cash assistance aimed at easing financial strains caused by rising fuel prices due to the war in the Middle East, in this file photo taken April 27, 2026. (Yonhap)

▲ People wait to apply for cash assistance for vulnerable groups aimed at easing financial strains caused by rising fuel prices amid the war in the Middle East, in this file photo taken at a community center in western Seoul on April 27, 2026. (Yonhap)

(LEAD) cash aid-rollout

(LEAD) S. Korea to roll out 2nd cash aid to over 36 mln people amid Mideast crisis

(ATTN: UPDATES with more details from para 6)

SEOUL, May 11 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will roll out a second batch of cash assistance for the bottom 70 percent of income earners, or about 36 million people, next week, officials said Monday, in an effort to ease financial strains caused by rising fuel prices amid the war in the Middle East.

Last month, the National Assembly approved a 26.2 trillion-won (US$17.8 billion) extra budget bill to address the economic fallout from the Middle East conflict, which includes the introduction of the cash assistance plan.

Under the first program launched in April, the government handed out up to 600,000 won to recipients of basic livelihood security and other vulnerable groups.

The government will begin accepting applications next Monday for the second round of the assistance program. Eligible individuals living in the broader Seoul area will receive 100,000 won, while those in areas with declining populations may receive up to 250,000 won each.

Assistance eligibility will be determined by a household's national health insurance payment in March this year. For single-person households, those who paid 130,000 won or less will be eligible.

In terms of annual income, a single-person household that earns 43.4 million or less a year is expected to be eligible for the assistance.

A welfare ministry official, however, noted that eligibility will be based on the national health insurance payment.

Also, about 930,000 households that held assets exceeding 1.2 billion won as of last year or earned more than 20 million won in financial income in 2024 will not be eligible for the program, according to the official.

The government will accept applications for the cash assistance through July 3.

Recipients can receive the assistance through their credit and debit cards, prepaid cards or local currency vouchers.

The funds, which will expire Aug. 31, can only be used at small local businesses with annual sales of 3 billion won or less.

"The high-oil price support fund is expected to reduce the people's burdens stemming from the prolonged war in the Middle East and revive dampened consumption," Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung said in a briefing.

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