Electricity Bill Relief / KBS뉴스(News)

Описание: [Anchor Lead]
Many households are bracing for their upcoming energy bills after running fans and their air conditioning for hours on end amid this extreme summer heat wave. President Moon Jae-in has called for swift measures to temporarily ease the progressive rate billing system for summer months.
[Pkg]
Returning to work from his summer leave, President Moon Jae-in first and foremost ordered measures to ease electricity charges for Korean households. He has asked to ease the progressive rate billing system for at least July and August amid continuing record temperatures of near 40 degrees Celsius. Under the progressive rate rule, power charges rise sharply according to the amount of energy used. The president ordered the changes be reflected in power bills for July which will reach homes in the coming days.
[Soundbite] Pres. Moon Jae-in : "Swiftly finalize measures to reduce public burden of power bills so they can be reflected from the July portion."

Moon also called for steep discounts for lower-income households and social welfare facilities. He has also asked the government to sufficiently inform the public about the progressive rate system in comparison with other countries, and also gather public opinion to review measures to improve the billing rule. The remarks are seen as expressing his will to take into consideration public calls demanding the progressive billing system be improved or scrapped altogether. President Moon also stressed that more fundamental measures to treat heat waves as natural disasters may be necessary, as they could repeat every year from now on due to climate change. Despite the directives, it's unclear whether government measures will step beyond addressing public frustration and manage to tackle the structural concerns of the electricity billing system across the board.