‘Just Give’ Essential-Goods Program Expands Nationwide

South Korea’s ‘Just Give’ program, designed to provide food and daily necessities without demanding income documents, will expand nationwide this month. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said on the 6th that the 55 cities and counties not yet participating would join the program in stages.

The initiative began as a pilot in 57 locations last December. It gives food and essential goods to residents facing financial hardship without first applying income or property thresholds. People who return repeatedly receive counseling and can be connected with formal welfare services.

From last December through July this year, about 210,000 people used the ‘Just Give’ centers. Of them, 44,712 received welfare counseling, while 4,437 were connected to public protection programs, including basic livelihood benefits and emergency welfare support.

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Over the past 10 months, Just Give has lowered the barriers to welfare by requiring no documentation in the face of hunger.

The ministry will also fully launch ‘Visiting Just Give’ for vulnerable people who have difficulty traveling, including older adults with limited mobility, people with disabilities and residents of islands and remote areas. In South Jeolla Province’s Sinan County, local health and welfare teams already travel through villages by vehicle to deliver supplies. Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, operates a home-delivery service in cooperation with local post offices.

The program grew from the ‘Gyeonggi Food Just Give Corner,’ introduced by President Lee Jae-myung when he was governor of Gyeonggi Province in 2021. Welfare Minister Jung Eun-kyeong said the program had lowered barriers by requiring no documentation in the face of hunger. She said the ministry would work with local governments and private organizations to identify more people excluded from welfare and provide support quickly.

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Now that Just Give corners will be installed in every city and county nationwide, we will build a closely connected support system with local governments and the private sector so that we can find even one more person left in a welfare blind spot and provide support quickly.