The emergency disaster relief money President Moon Jae-in has promised to help the public ride out the coronavirus crisis could be doled out as early as May.

Presidential spokesman Kang Min-seok said in a media briefing on Monday that Moon pressed officials to swiftly execute the plan he announced earlier in the day during the third emergency economic meeting. 

Noting the government’s plan to draft another supplementary budget bill to finance the relief fund and have it pass the National Assembly in April after the general elections, Kang said the government would do its best so households receive the money in May.

President Moon assessed that counter-virus stimulus packages rolled out during the two previous emergency economic meetings were much bolder than what the people had expected. 

He said the government should work harder to earn public trust not only for quarantine policies but also economic countermeasures. 

Under the latest relief program, the Moon administration will offer one million won in emergency disaster relief payments to low-income four-member households. Seventy percent of households in the country will be eligible for the one-off financial support.