"Welfare Fast-Track" Launched for Jeonnam-Gwangju Integration... Streamlined Administration, Faster Benefits

All Existing Programs to Bypass Complex Preliminary Consultations
"Fast-Track" System Activated for New or Revised Programs, Cutting Processing Time in Half

On the 1st of next month, the Integrated Special City of Jeonnam Gwangju (Gwangju Special City) will be officially launched. In response, the government will implement a "Welfare Fast-Track" system to prevent any disruption or delay in welfare services and benefits that may occur during the integration process. The goal is to dramatically reduce the administrative burden on local governments resulting from large-scale social security reforms, ensuring that welfare programs experienced by residents continue swiftly and without interruption.

On the 1st of next month, the Integrated Special City of Gwangju, Jeollanam-do will be launched. Jeollanam-do.

On June 26, the Ministry of Health and Welfare held a briefing session at the Gwangju Metropolitan City Hall for public officials in charge of social security projects in the Jeonnam and Gwangju regions, where it announced these streamlining measures in line with the administrative reorganization of the Integrated Special City of Jeonnam Gwangju.

The core of this measure is a drastic reduction in procedural steps to match the administrative restructuring. First, if the existing welfare programs in Jeonnam and Gwangju are maintained without changes after integration, all complex preliminary consultation processes with the Ministry of Health and Welfare will be omitted. The application forms will also be simplified to ease the paperwork burden on local authorities, and the information on existing projects will be collectively updated under "Jeonnam Gwangju Integrated Special City" through the social security information system (Haengbok-eum).

When new welfare programs are established or existing ones are modified after the integration, an "Integrated Preliminary Consulting System" will replace the previous practice of separate consultations with individual departments. By consolidating lists of welfare projects that were previously handled by multiple departments and submitting them collectively, the government aims to resolve consultation issues early on. In particular, projects that incorporate the results of preliminary consulting will be classified as "Fast-Track" items, reducing the processing period from the previous average of 60 days to within 30 days—effectively cutting the time in half.

To minimize confusion on the ground, the Ministry of Health and Welfare also conducted on-site preliminary consulting during the briefing session, alongside an advisory group composed of 27 academic and field experts, including members of the Honam region expert network.

Hye-Seong Lim, Secretary General of the Social Security Committee, stated, "The integration of Jeonnam and Gwangju marks a significant turning point for balanced regional development. Through tailored consulting and on-site briefings aligned with the purpose of launching the integrated city, we will do our utmost to reduce the burden on local governments and ensure that residents swiftly receive the welfare benefits they need."

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Welfare plans to use this case of Jeonnam and Gwangju as a standard model and apply the same support system to any future administrative district integrations in other regions. Through this, the central government's role will be firmly shifted from one focused on 'regulation and review' to one centered on 'support and consulting.'

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.