Economics
In Virus Relief, Tech-Savvy Korea Beats Paperwork-Heavy Japan
- 2.8 million Korean families get payments without even applying
- Hundreds queue for hours in Tokyo to reset online applications
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Lee Jong-chul, a 57-year-old truck driver who lives just south of Seoul, says it took little more than a minute to access his 400,000 won ($330) cash handout from the South Korean government earlier this month.
For 2.8 million Korean households it didn’t take any time at all: the money was automatically wired to their bank accounts without even an application.