In November 2017, the residents of Pohang were devastated by the strongest earthquake in South Korea’s modern history. Commendable government response resulted in 80% of the damages being restored within 4 days of the initial earthquake, and after three weeks, cash donations amounting to more than 30 billion KRW were made to help the citizens of Pohang get back on their feet. When a natural disaster strikes, everyone understands that relief is a necessity. The COVID-19 pandemic is no different. Its prolonged nature shouldn’t distract us from the fact that the Korean people are in need of aid.

The effects of the pandemic have been felt differently by the South Korean population. While for some it’s just a nagging pain that they can ignore, for others it’s a wound that needs immediate attention. COVID-19 relief funds are necessary for the average Joe to get through the pandemic as long as there’s no end in sight. According to the KDI, more than 1.1 million jobs have been lost since the pandemic began. More than that, strict social distancing rules have had an indirect effect on local economies, hitting small-business owners particularly hard ​​— hard enough that they’ve felt the need to take it out to the streets. The hundreds of small business owners in Seoul who publicly demanded government aid last July are just a few of those who find the relief funds a necessity. 

However, the effectiveness of stimulus checks is rightfully being questioned by some. A common concern is whether the money is being spent the “right” way. The way Americans spent their stimulus earlier this year in April can serve as a good base reference. For all the talk of spending the money on travel and leisure, only 13% said they’d spend it on nonessential items, even when there were no restrictions on where Americans could spend the relief funds. In South Korea, where such restrictions do exist,  it would be safe to say that the majority of the recipients will make good use of the money. Moreover, preventing people from using the stimulus at large chains is not only a good deterrent against reckless spending, but also an effective way to boost the local economy since small shops will see an increase in their customers. Another positive aspect of the relief fund is the December 31 deadline set by the government, which encourages spending the money on immediate necessities that can alleviate the hardships of the pandemic, while giving everyone eligible for the fund ample time to apply for it.

The decision of the South Korean government to hand out relief funds has received its fair share of criticism, with some questioning the fact that only 88% of the population are eligible. As reported by the National Tax Service of South Korea in 2020, the top 10% of South Korea earns 78.3 million KRW on average. While it is true that everyone has been affected by the pandemic in some way or another, the 250,000 KRW relief fund won’t make a significant difference for the country’s top earners. Instead, the relief is rightfully being concentrated on those who need it the most. When the first round of relief funds was handed out in May 2020, the government capped the amount of money each household can receive to 1 million KRW. Recognizing that some citizens needed more help than that, the government removed that cap and promised an additional 100,000 KRW for South Korea’s poorest 2.96 million families. 

COVID-19 relief funds do not provide a permanent solution to the problems the pandemic brought with it; admittedly, they are only a band-aid solution. It does, however, allow the government to explore and implement more permanent solutions such as increasing vaccination rates while not completely neglecting its constituents. It’s unreasonable to ask people to just hold out and suffer in silence while not giving any immediate response. With the end of the pandemic seemingly nowhere near in sight, it is inarguable that this round of COVID-19 grants is a much needed sigh of relief (funds) for low-income households.