Justice Ministry and Legal Aid Agency Enhance Support for Debt-Stricken Individuals

In the future, individuals receiving welfare consultations at administrative welfare centers across the country will be able to access professional legal support from the Legal Aid Agency with just a click if they are identified as struggling with excessive debt.

By integrating welfare consultations and legal aid into a single system, the social safety net for debt-stricken individuals is expected to become more robust.
 

The Justice Ministry and the Korea Legal Aid Corporation announced on August 4 that they will significantly enhance their integrated support system in collaboration with local governments to more quickly and effectively identify and assist economically vulnerable individuals and those in debt crises.
 

Previously, citizens facing financial difficulties had to visit administrative welfare centers for welfare support and then separately approach the Legal Aid Agency for debt or legal assistance, creating an inconvenience.

To address the fragmentation of welfare and legal support, the Justice Ministry and the Agency have decided to expand their cooperative framework with local governments to identify those in urgent need of help more promptly.
 

Since July of last year, the Agency has been conducting pilot projects in six local governments, including Jungnang and Gangdong districts in Seoul, Namyangju in Gyeonggi Province, Gimcheon in North Gyeongsang Province, Dangjin in South Chungcheong Province, and Iksan in North Jeolla Province. In this model, welfare officials identify individuals needing legal support and refer them to the Agency.

As a result of the pilot project, by the end of June this year, the Agency provided 326 legal consultations and represented 105 cases in court, successfully delivering timely legal support to vulnerable groups.
 

Building on this success, the Justice Ministry is working with the Ministry of Health and Welfare to facilitate the Agency's participation in the social security information system. This will establish a foundation for the Agency and local governments to jointly identify and refer debt-stricken individuals.
 

Starting in 2027, all administrative welfare centers across the country will be able to directly request assistance from the Agency with just one click if debt issues are discovered during consultations with crisis households.

Conversely, if the Korea Legal Aid Corporation identifies households in crisis needing emergency welfare services during legal consultations, it will immediately connect them to the relevant local government, creating a two-way support system. This means that individuals can receive both welfare and legal support in a single consultation.
 

Additionally, immediate measures reflecting the voices from the welfare field will be implemented. The Agency has established a direct line, '7', for local government social welfare officials at the 132 legal consultation call center. This will enable officials who encounter debt-stricken individuals in the field to quickly connect with the legal aid platform, enhancing the convenience of local government operations while providing tailored legal welfare services to residents in a one-stop manner.
 

Officials from the Justice Ministry and the Agency stated, "We will continue to closely cooperate to organically connect legal support and welfare services, and we will consistently expand the support system for debt-stricken individuals so that citizens suffering from economic difficulties can quickly regain their daily lives."