Lee Kyu-yeon, the presidential office’s senior secretary for public relations and communication, said in an afternoon interview on KBS radio’s “All Politics in the World” that Lee directed aides to consider easing the rules. “Because it’s high-oil-price relief funds, we thought people should at least be able to put in gas, so he told us to review a direction to loosen it,” he said.
The relief funds are currently limited mainly to small merchants such as traditional markets and neighborhood shops, and can be used only at businesses with annual sales of 3 billion won or less. Complaints were raised over restrictions at some gas stations, prompting the president to order a review of possible changes.
Lee said the sales cap was designed to support small businesses and struggling people, adding that “if that’s the purpose, it’s right not to use it at gas stations with more than 3 billion won” in sales. But he said the program’s name could invite criticism: “Because it’s ‘high-oil-price’ relief funds, people can say, ‘Why can’t I buy gas?’”
He said that as complaints emerged, the president asked senior secretaries to share their views.
A presidential office official told reporters at the Chunchugwan press center that media reports highlighted the issue and that the president “accepted in a forward-looking way” that people could misunderstand it. The official said the program is livelihood support related to high oil prices, not a fuel subsidy, but that the name could still cause confusion. The president therefore asked aides to review a temporary easing of the criteria so the funds could be used regardless of business size.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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