Lee: "No One Should Miss Out on Heating Cost Assistance Because They Don't Know About It"

"Winter Should Be Warm for Everyone"
"Check for Gaps in Support as Meticulously as Necessary, Even to the Point of Seeming Excessive"
Reapplication Assistance for 25,000 Households... Advance Cash Payments Also Planned

President Lee Jaemyung emphasized on Nov. 10 that people eligible for heating-cost assistance during the winter must not miss out simply because they are unaware of the program. He called on the government to seek out eligible recipients directly and urged local governments to thoroughly check for welfare blind spots.

President Lee Jaemyung speaks at a Cabinet meeting held at Cheong Wa Dae on Nov. 10, 2026. Yonhap News Agency.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) that day titled “We’ll seek out those eligible for heating-cost assistance so no one misses out because they don’t know about it,” President Lee said, “Winter should be warm for everyone.”

“For energy-vulnerable people, the burden of heating costs is as great a concern as the cold,” he said. “Winter, when warmth should be shared fairly, must not become a season of suffering for anyone.” He added, “We must first check whether anyone is having difficulty applying for or using the assistance, and work to reduce gaps in support.”

President Lee outlined the government’s newly introduced “Energy Voucher Find-and-Deliver Service,” saying it would identify energy-vulnerable people directly and provide them with assistance. For households that have difficulty using their vouchers, the government will provide heating-cost assistance in cash in advance. It will also expand support for heating fuels whose prices have surged in the wake of the Middle East war.

He particularly urged local governments to play an active role. “I ask each local government to seek out those who need assistance,” President Lee said. “I hope you will check with the utmost care—even to what might seem an excessive degree—to make sure the measures are working properly on the ground and that no one is being left without support.”

The key aim of the winter protection measures for vulnerable groups, which the government reported at the Cabinet meeting that day, is to reduce welfare blind spots caused by the application-based system. Under the measures, the government will directly find households whose energy voucher assistance was discontinued because of a move or a change in the number of household members, but which were unable to reapply, and resume their support. Counselors will contact eligible recipients, and the officials in charge will handle the reapplication process. The government plans to provide the service to about 25,000 households by March next year.

Starting this month, about 5,300 housing-vulnerable households living in jjokbang촌 and gosiwon will receive heating-cost assistance in cash in advance. About 210,000 households that use kerosene or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) will receive an additional 147,000 won in energy voucher assistance. As a result, the average amount of assistance for these households will rise from 367,000 won to 514,000 won. The Energy Welfare Service, which visits and assists households that have received vouchers but are unable to use them properly, will also expand its coverage to as many as 122,000 households.

“The government will also pay closer attention,” President Lee said. “We will make sure that people who need help do not miss out because they are unaware of the program, so everyone can get through the winter without worry.”

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