Postmen will visit vulnerable people with limited mobility or those living in remote areas to deliver food and daily necessities and check on their wellbeing.

The Postal Service of the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of Health and Welfare on Oct. 29 signed a business agreement to 추진 the “Just Dream Delivered by Postmen” programme.

Just Dream is a programme that provides 20,000 won worth of food and daily necessities per person, without separate proof or complicated application procedures, when people struggling to make a living visit a designated corner. It began in December last year and is now operating in all cities, counties and districts nationwide.

People with disabilities, elderly people with limited mobility and residents in island and mountainous areas have faced limits in using the service because it is difficult for them to visit in person, the Postal Service said.

Under the agreement, if local governments select eligible recipients such as people with disabilities, elderly people living alone, older people with limited mobility and reclusive young people, postmen will visit those households to deliver the goods. They will also check health conditions and living environments and send the results to local governments. Based on the results, local governments plan to link recipients to needed welfare services such as additional counselling and emergency welfare support.

The pilot programme will be introduced first in 10 cities, counties and districts, including Seoul’s Seodaemun and Dongdaemun, Bucheon and Gwangmyeong in Gyeonggi province, Ganghwa county in Incheon, Buk district in Busan, Yeongdong county in North Chungcheong province, Gimcheon in North Gyeongsang province, Pyeongchang county in Gangwon province and Wanju county in North Jeolla province. Each local government will provide guidance on when services begin and how to apply in its area.

The Postal Service has 추진 the “Welfare Mail” programme since 2022, under which postmen visit households suspected to be in crisis. As of the first half of this year, it visited about 340,000 households in 107 cities, counties and districts and connected 140,000 households to welfare services. Through its wellbeing-check postal service, it also confirmed the wellbeing of about 150,000 households in 56 cities, counties and districts.

Postal Service chief Park In-hwan (박인환) said the agency would reach out so vulnerable people can use Just Dream easily. He said it would work so all local governments nationwide can use the post office network to reach the public.