Many veterans who fought for Korea's independence and security continue to live in poverty.
To address this, Samcheok announced Monday it will raise its veterans' allowance to 400,000 won ($299) per month starting Jan. 1, 2027, aiming to prevent low-income veterans from losing welfare benefits because of the payments.
The city revised a related ordinance to classify the allowance as a supplementary benefit tied to basic livelihood support, establishing a legal basis for excluding it from the "actual income" calculation used in welfare eligibility assessments.
Alongside this, the city raised the honorary allowance for national merit recipients and the allowance for combat veterans.
"Through this reform, we hope to ensure that low-income veterans are not penalized in their existing welfare benefits because of the veterans' allowance, and that the increase helps veterans and their bereaved families achieve genuine financial stability," a city official said. "We will continue to do our utmost so that those who devoted themselves to the nation receive the recognition and support they deserve."
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