Busan is good

Busan Metropolitan City Signs Agreement to Support Free Essentials Support (그냥드림) Project, Strengthening Food Assistance System

내용

Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that it will sign a “Business Agreement for Supporting the Free Essentials Support (그냥드림) Project” today (19th) at 10:00 a.m. in the International Protocol Room on the 7th floor of City Hall, together with the National Health Insurance Service Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam Regional Headquarters and the Busan Council on Social Welfare.

This agreement has been prepared to ensure the stable operation of the Free Essentials Support (그냥드림) Project, which supports citizens who face difficulties in securing basic food due to economic hardship or emergency situations, and to eliminate welfare blind spots through public-private cooperation.

Under the agreement, Busan Metropolitan City will oversee the project and provide administrative support, while the National Health Insurance Service Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam Regional Headquarters will contribute KRW 10 million in donations to support the Free Essentials Support (그냥드림) Project. The Busan Council on Social Welfare will manage the donations and operate the project to ensure smooth delivery of food assistance to vulnerable groups.

The Free Essentials Support (그냥드림) Project provides food and daily necessities packages (such as rice, instant noodles, and canned goods) to citizens facing urgent crises, and subsequently connects them to necessary welfare services through counseling.

The project offers each beneficiary a package of daily necessities worth KRW 15,000 (including rice, instant noodles, and canned goods) and links them to required welfare services through consultation. It is operated using the basic food market infrastructure and is designed to be accessible to anyone in emergency situations.

The city plans to expand the project, currently being piloted in 10 districts (gu and gun), to all 16 districts starting in May for full-scale implementation. Busan has a high participation rate compared to other regions, with 10 out of 16 districts already participating in the pilot project, and has been recognized as exemplary in terms of both operation and utilization systems.

Through this expansion, the city aims to further strengthen its food assistance system for vulnerable groups and address welfare blind spots more effectively.

Starting with this agreement, the city plans to continue expanding connections with private resources for the Free Essentials Support (그냥드림) Project based on public-private cooperation.

At the signing ceremony, attendees including the Director General of the Social Welfare Bureau of the city, the Director of Administrative Support of the National Health Insurance Service Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam Regional Headquarters, and the Chair of the Busan Council on Social Welfare signed the agreement and held a donation handover ceremony, while also discussing ways to expand support for vulnerable groups through public-private cooperation.

Jeong Tae-gi, Director General of the Social Welfare Bureau of Busan Metropolitan City, stated, “The National Health Insurance Service’s warm participation in social contribution will help spread a culture of sharing in the local community and provide practical support to neighbors in need,” adding, “This agreement, in which public institutions practice social responsibility together with the local community, will serve as a meaningful starting point for building a warm welfare community.”