(C) WANE 15

SEOUL – The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on Friday, January 9, 2026, a significant expansion of its "Citizen Safety Insurance" program, aiming to provide a stronger safety net for residents affected by increasingly diverse urban disasters.

The most notable update is the inclusion of "ground subsidence" (sinkholes) as a standard coverage item—a first for any local government in South Korea. Under the new policy, citizens who suffer permanent disability or death due to a sinkhole accident will be eligible for up to 25 million won (approx. $19,000) in compensation.

"Recognizing the rising concern over ground subsidence in urban areas, we requested insurance providers to develop a specific coverage category for this last year," a city official stated. Furthermore, if a sinkhole incident is officially categorized as a "Social Disaster," victims may receive dual payouts from both the sinkhole and social disaster clauses, providing doubled financial support for grieving families.

In addition to new coverage, the city has bolstered existing protections. Compensation for fire, explosion, and building collapse—the most frequent causes of claims over the past five years—has been raised from 20 million won to 25 million won.

To improve accessibility, the city is overhauling its application process. Moving beyond traditional phone and mail-in methods, residents can now consult and submit claims via a KakaoTalk-based mobile service. For the city's growing international population, multilingual counseling in English, Chinese, and Japanese is now available.

The Citizen Safety Insurance automatically covers every registered resident of Seoul, including registered foreign nationals. No separate enrollment is required. As long as the individual was a resident of Seoul at the time of the accident, they are covered regardless of where the accident occurred or where they currently live.

Claims must be filed within three years of the accident or the date a disability is diagnosed. Victims or their bereaved families can apply directly through the insurance company contracted by the city.

"We hope the Citizen Safety Insurance acts as a catalyst for recovery for those facing unexpected tragedies," said Han Byeong-yong, head of the Seoul Disaster and Safety Management Office. "We will continue to refine our safety nets to protect the lives and daily routines of our citizens."