Seoul: The defense ministry announced on Thursday that it is actively working to correct errors in the list of service members and civilian military employees eligible for a one-time government cash payment. This initiative aims to alleviate the impact of rising fuel prices.

According to Yonhap News Agency, numerous cases were discovered where soldiers and civilian military employees were mistakenly excluded from the second round of fuel support payments. This was due to annual bonuses paid in March being incorrectly counted as part of their income. "It appears to have caused some distortion as the eligibility of the fuel support payments was determined based on the March national health insurance premiums," said ministry spokesperson Chung Binna during a press briefing. The ministry is collaborating with relevant ministries and agencies to resolve the issue promptly.

In Korea, annual bonuses can influence national health insurance premiums because they are considered income for premium calculations. This can temporarily make employees appear to have higher income levels than usual. The government initiated the cash support package to mitigate the cost-of-living burden for citizens amid escalating oil prices due to the Middle East conflict.

The initial round of cash assistance targeted the lowest-income group, while the second round, which began earlier this week, is intended for the bottom 70 percent of income earners, approximately 36 million people. Eligible recipients receive between 100,000 won and 600,000 won (US$66-398) based on their income and assets.