Residents apply for cash assistance aimed at easing financial strain caused by the Middle East crisis at a community center in Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap
Lee, a school teacher in her 30s living in Seoul's Yangcheon District, said she was surprised to learn she did not qualify for the government's fuel price relief payment for the bottom 70 percent income bracket.
After checking her eligibility through a banking app, Wednesday, she found that she did not meet the criteria for the payout.
"Teachers' salaries are not that high," Lee said. "I don’t understand how I ended up being classified in the top 30 percent income bracket. I think the assessment may have reflected my household's combined assets, but I have personal loans under my name. Honestly, I feel like I'm the one who should be receiving the support."
The government on Monday began distributing a second round of fuel price relief payments to around 36 million people, or roughly 70 percent of the population in lower income brackets, as households grapple with high fuel costs amid the prolonged conflict in the Middle East.
