The amount of state payouts to unemployed South Koreans looking for jobs set a new record in June.
According to the labor ministry, the government paid out 1.1 trillion won last month in unemployment, up nearly 63 percent compared to a year ago.
The figure has broken record after record since February when the COVID-19 pandemic started battering the economy and forcing businesses to fire employees to stay afloat.
In June, 106,000 people newly filed for state allowances while 711,000 people received the benefits.
Aside from the hike in the number of unemployed, the ministry attributed the rise to a revision to relevant law that took effect in October and allowed for an increase in the amount of payments and an extension in the period under which benefits are offered.
<Photo: Yonhap News>
