Marriage immigrants and permanent residents in Gyeonggi Province are eligible to receive an income supplement to help them navigate the economic fallout from the novel coronavirus outbreak, province officials said Monday.

Since the start of April, the province has doled out disaster relief in the amount of 100,000 won ($81.90) per person to South Korean citizens, but not to foreigners.

The latest decision will expand the scope of beneficiaries to include an estimated 48,700 foreign spouses and about 60,100 permanent residents in the province.

“There were different opinions,” Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung explained in a social media post. “But the general opinion among mayors and county governors was the inclusive approach.”

He went on to say that the decision took into consideration the global trend toward equal treatment for citizens and permanent residents, saying marriage immigrants are “practically Koreans” even though they do not hold Korean passports.

Lee added that disbursing aid to all foreigners, including illegal immigrants and short-term residents, would be going too far.

The date of payment for marriage immigrants and permanent residents is to be ironed out once legal revisions are prepared in each city and county and once the province takes other steps, such as finalizing the eligibility requirements.

By Kim Bo-gyung (lisakim425@heraldcorp.com)