The government and ruling Grand National Party on Thursday agreed to spend W716 billion this year to help low-income earners and the underprivileged through the winter. The government will spend another W1.4 trillion to support them until March next year, bringing the total to some W2.1 trillion.

The policy was announced after a meeting of GNP leaders and senior government and Cheong Wa Dae officials including Prime Minister Han Seung-soo and GNP chairman Park Hee-tae.

Major subsidy programs include W58.9 billion for heating subsidies for 86,000 destitute people and for welfare facilities for the elderly; an additional monthly energy subsidy of W20,000 for each of 940,000 destitute households; and an increased supply of coal-briquette coupons for 100,000 low-income homes.

The government will give a subsidy of W80,000 to each low-income home for preschoolers' attendance at day-care centers from December to February. They will also run free intensive winter English-language camps for about 30,000 elementary schoolchildren from rural and fishing regions and from poor families in urban areas.

A “new start” program for young people will target 10,000 young men and women next year, and some 20,000 young people are to get help finding jobs in small- and medium-sized enterprises through subsidies equivalent to half their wages if the SMEs hire them as interns.

(englishnews@chosun.com )