The Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service (COMWEL) will continue to operate the 'Livelihood Stabilization Fund Interest Subsidy Support Program' in 2026 to ease the financial burden on workers and others. It is a system that subsidizes a portion of the interest when borrowing funds needed for marriage, child-rearing, supporting elderly parents, and funerals at different life stages, thereby reducing actual financial costs.

• *Eligible Recipients and Application Qualifications**
• Eligible Recipients: Workers, special-type workers, and sole proprietors who are small and medium business owners enrolled in industrial accident compensation insurance
• Employment Requirements: As of the date of application, workers must have been employed at their current workplace for at least 3 months, or sole proprietors must have been enrolled in industrial accident compensation insurance for at least 3 months
• Sole Proprietor Requirements: Must have no employees as of the last day of the month preceding the month in which the loan application is filed
• Income Criteria: Monthly average income must be at or below the median income for a three-person household (median income of 5,359,036 won based on 2026 standards). However, income requirements are verified through financial institution screening.

• *Support Items and Limits**
• The detailed support limits, reflecting workers' funding needs at different life stages, are as follows:
• Wedding expenses: Up to 20 million won
• Childcare expenses: 10 million won per child under 18 (up to 20 million won)
• Elderly parent support expenses: 5 million won per parent or grandparent (up to 20 million won)
• Funeral expenses: Up to 10 million won
• However, the total loan limit per individual is 20 million won.

Interest Subsidy and Repayment Method COMWEL subsidizes up to 3.0 percentage points of the personal credit loan interest rate, reducing the interest burden on users. Repayment can be chosen between equal installments over 3 or 4 years after a 1-year grace period, easing the initial repayment burden.

Purpose of the System and Future Plans The Livelihood Stabilization Fund Interest Subsidy is a representative welfare program that helps stabilize household livelihoods by improving workers' access to financing and reducing interest burdens in situations where lump-sum funds are suddenly needed, such as marriage, childbirth, supporting parents, and funerals. COMWEL plans to continue operating this program to alleviate the financial burden on workers and small-scale sole proprietors and to help establish a stable livelihood foundation.

[This article was written with the assistance of AI. This article was written to help explain the system, and individual eligibility for benefits may vary depending on the results of income and asset investigations and relevant laws and regulations. Please check with the relevant authorities for the final details.]