2015 may be a challenging one for Korean smokers, as not only will the price of cigarettes go up, but smoking will be banned in all restaurants nationwide starting Jan. 1.
But many will benefit from the government’s increased budget for its welfare programs, including a monthly allowance for unwed mothers and free vaccinations for the elderly and children.
Starting this month, those who smoke in any of some 600,000 registered restaurants across the country will be fined 100,000 won ($91).
As the government announced in September, tobacco prices are also being raised by 80 percent ― up 2,000 won per pack ― this month as part of the preventive measures to lower the country’s high smoking rate.
2015 is the first year the nation’s health and welfare budget ― 106.4 trillion won ― accounted for more than 30 percent of the government budget.
South Korea’s budget for welfare programs has increased by 88.1 percent since 2007, when the authorities set aside 61.4 trillion won.
One of the biggest projects related to the increased budget is free vaccination services for children and the elderly.
Starting in May, children aged 2 to 3 can get a hepatitis A vaccination for free at any of 7,000 health clinics nationwide.
Starting in October, those aged 65 or older can get free flu shots at any health clinic across the country as well.
The maximum monthly allowance of the basic pension ― which was revised last year to benefit the poorest 70 percent of Korean seniors ― is also being raised from 200,000 won to 203,600 won, according to the Health Ministry.
The government is also increasing the monthly allowance for single mothers from 70,000 won to 100,000 won, and for the physically disabled from 30,000 won to 40,000 won.
The ministry is also building 171 more day care centers nationwide to support working mothers.
The poorest 30 percent of the population will be able to receive a monthly fuel allowance of 36,000 won to help with the cost of heating their homes during the winter months, from December to February.
The Welfare Ministry predicts that 12,000 more people will be able to benefit from the revised state welfare payment program for the poor this year, which is given to those who make less than the government-designated monthly minimum cost of living, which is 603,403 won.
In response to the collective suicide of a destitute mother in her 60s and her two ill, grown-up daughters in Seoul last year, lawmakers agreed on a revised bill to extend eligibility for the program.
Under the revised bill, which takes effect this year, all destitute individuals with an adult child or spouse making 4.04 million won or less a month will be eligible for the welfare payments.
Previously, all adult Koreans were legally obligated to financially support their spouses, parents and parents-in-laws.
Accordingly, the recipients of state welfare payments lost a portion or all of their allowance if any member of their immediate family ― a spouse, child or child-in-law ― had an income, depending on how much they made.
By Claire Lee (dyc@heraldcorp.com)
