Youth Basic Income (청년기본소득)
The Gyeonggi Youth Basic Income is a province-run, unconditional cash transfer paid to every registered resident of Gyeonggi Province in the calendar year they turn 24, regardless of income, employment, or education status. Recipients receive 250,000 KRW (~$170) per quarter, up to 1,000,000 KRW (~$680) per year, issued as local currency usable only at small businesses in their home city/county. Applicants must have lived in Gyeonggi continuously for 3+ years or cumulatively for 10+ years. Piloted in Seongnam in 2016 and expanded province-wide in 2019, the program continues in 2026, though Seongnam and Goyang have withdrawn local funding since 2024-2025.
Local Currency, Age-Targeted, Quarterly Payments, Province-Wide, Unconditional
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- Gyeonggi Provincial Government
- City
- Suwon-si
- State / Province
- Gyeonggi Province
- Country
- South Korea
Contact
- Website
- https://www.gg.go.kr
- Phone
- +82-1877-0566
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Active
- Application status
- Timed
- Funding type
- Government
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Total Amount
- 678
- Avg. Per Month
- 56.5
- Payment frequency
- Variable
- How long the program lasts
- 12 months
- Distribution Type
- Local digital currency card (지역화폐 / regional currency), prepaid card or mobile app tied to recipient's registered city/county
- Benefit details
Recipients receive 250,000 KRW per quarter for up to four quarters (max 1,000,000 KRW/year) in the year they turn 24. Funds are issued as local currency (지역화폐) restricted to the recipient's registered city/county and can only be spent at traditional markets and small/medium local businesses, excluding department stores, large supermarkets (SSM), franchise chains, and entertainment venues. Unused local-currency balances are typically subject to standard regional-currency expiration rules. Applications and quarterly disbursements are processed through the Gyeonggi Job Foundation's Jobaba platform (apply.jobaba.net).
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Applicants must be Korean citizens (foreigners and residents of unregistered/undetermined address excluded) registered as Gyeonggi Province residents in the year they turn 24. They must have lived in Gyeonggi continuously for at least 3 years immediately before applying, or cumulatively for 10+ years across multiple stays. Since 2024-2025, residents of Seongnam-si and Goyang-si are excluded because those two cities repealed/defunded their local ordinances. There is no income, asset, employment, or education requirement.
Demographics
- Minimum age
- 24
- Maximum age
- 24
Citizenship
- Citizenship / immigration status
- Citizen
- Minimum Years In Jurisdiction
- 3 years
Geography
- Countries covered
- South Korea
- Cities covered
- All Gyeonggi Province cities/counties except Seongnam-si and Goyang-si (both withdrew local ordinance/funding support beginning 2024-2025)
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
- Minimum Years A Resident of Target Geography
- 3 years
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Optional
- Research / participation requirements
Gyeonggi Province periodically recruits benefit recipients for optional impact-assessment surveys and interviews (e.g., a 2026 Youth Basic Income Impact Survey / online focus-group interview) to evaluate program effects; participation is not a condition of receiving the benefit.
Application Process
- How to apply
Apply online each quarter through the Gyeonggi Job Foundation's integrated portal (apply.jobaba.net / Jobaba) during the specific application window assigned to the applicant's birth-date cohort. Proxy application by a parent/guardian is permitted if the applicant cannot apply directly. Starting in 2026, public MyData linkage reduces the documents applicants must submit.
- Selection process
Non-competitive: all applicants who meet the age and residency requirements and apply within the quarterly window are approved; there is no income-based, merit-based, or lottery screening.
