‹ Dragoman · Edition 24
Translated from Korean · 10 June 2026
translated from Korean

Gyeonggi Province’s expanded low-credit loan program has drawn intense demand while pairing emergency financial relief with welfare and employment support for financially vulnerable residents.

경기도, '극저신용대출 2.0' 2차 지원 완료hellip;2045명에 26억원 지급
프레시안 Pressian · 김재구 기자 · 10 June 2026 · read the original in Korean →

Gyeonggi Province announced on the 10th that it has completed its review of applicants in the second round of “Gyeonggi Ultra-Low Credit Loan 2.0” and provided loans totaling roughly 2.61 billion won to 2,045 people.

The second round of the program began accepting applications on the 6th of last month and drew 3,079 applicants in all, showing such strong interest that online applications closed within 17 minutes of opening and telephone reservation applications within 21 minutes.

Reviews and consultations were then conducted for 2,913 people, excluding those who did not receive callback calls and others; the final recipients were selected after excluding existing applicants with unpaid balances and those who did not meet the credit-score criteria.

Beginning with this second round, the province introduced a telephone reservation system in consideration of digitally vulnerable groups, while also running in-person applications through the Gyeonggi Province Support Center for Financial Welfare for Ordinary Citizens and local administrative welfare centers in applicants’ places of residence.

As a result, the share of applicants in their sixties or older rose from 9.1 percent in the first round to 12.4 percent in the second. Among telephone reservation applicants, those in their sixties or older accounted for 42.9 percent, far higher than among online applicants, where the figure was 6.7 percent. The province believes this approach helped improve older residents’ access to the policy.

An analysis of users found that the average loan amount per person was about 1.27 million won, and by age group, people in their thirties made up the largest share at 28.7 percent. As for loan purposes, living expenses accounted for the largest proportion at 79.2 percent, followed by loan repayment and payment of public utilities at 8.6 percent and medical expenses at 5.4 percent, indicating that demand was chiefly for subsistence-related financing.

By occupation, office and salaried workers accounted for 38.9 percent, day laborers and freelancers for 35.5 percent, the unemployed for 14.6 percent, and business operators for 11 percent. In addition, 22.5 percent of all users said they had experience using high-interest loans or illegal private lending, revealing the realities faced by financially vulnerable groups.

“Gyeonggi Ultra-Low Credit Loan 2.0” is a financial safety-net program for ordinary citizens that provides up to 2 million won to provincial residents aged 19 or older whose credit scores fall in the bottom 10 percent; for recipients of basic livelihood security and similar groups, eligibility extends to the bottom 20 percent. A defining feature of this year’s revamped 2.0 program is that it eases the burden of repayment by extending the repayment period from the previous five years to a maximum of ten years.

The program is also strengthening tailored support for self-reliance by going beyond simple loan assistance and linking borrowers with financial, employment, and welfare services. In one actual case, a borrower identified as A, who had been raising two children after a divorce, was connected through the loan-support process to an administrative welfare center, selected as a recipient of basic livelihood security, and also approved for debt-adjustment relief, reducing the person’s economic burden.

Another borrower, B, had fallen into crisis after closing a business and falling behind on rent, but after getting through the immediate danger with loan support, was selected for the National Employment Support System, laying the groundwork for reemployment.

Kim Jin-hyo, head of the province’s Welfare Policy Division, said, “This program goes beyond simple financial assistance; it is a structure that helps provincial residents get back on their feet by linking welfare and employment as well,” adding, “We will continue to maintain a closely woven support system so that financially vulnerable groups can achieve stable self-reliance.”

프레시안 Pressian · read in Korean