| Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jae-myung / Yonhap |
By Jung Min-ho
The Gyeonggi provincial government will offer universal basic income to marriage immigrants and permanent residents amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Governor Lee Jae-myung said Sunday that F-5 and F-6 visa holders will also be eligible to receive 100,000 won ($82) just like Korean citizens. Initially, all foreigners were excluded from access to the benefit.
"It would be difficult to offer the relief money to all foreigners, such as undocumented ones and short-term visitors," Lee said on Facebook. "However, marriage immigrants are spouses of Korean citizens and it is a trend that permanent residents around the world are not discriminated against when it comes to such benefit."
The move followed a petition urging the central and local governments to provide financial support to all tax-paying foreign workers "who are also suffering" the economic fallout from the crisis. The petition on the Cheong Wa Dae website has gathered 14,000 signatures over the past three weeks.
There are 48,000 foreign spouses and 60,000 permanent residents in Gyeonggi Province.