South Korea Launches UBI Pilot: 800,000 Won Monthly Payments to Address AI Structural Unemployment
South Korea has launched a Universal Basic Income pilot in Ulsan, providing 300,000 adult residents with 800,000 won ($600) monthly for two years, funded by an automation tax on companies replacing human workers with AI and robots.
South Korea Launches UBI Pilot in Ulsan
On February 14, 2028, South Korea's Ministry of Economy and Finance announced the official launch of a Universal Basic Income (UBI) pilot in Ulsan. The program provides approximately 300,000 adult residents with 800,000 won (approximately $600) monthly, unconditionally, for two years.
Funding comes from a newly established "automation tax" — a 15% surcharge on enterprises using AI and robots to replace human positions, calculated on the total salary of replaced roles. "The dividends of technological progress should be shared by all of society, not just technology owners," said Deputy Prime Minister Choo Kyung-ho.
Ulsan was selected as the pilot city because its shipbuilding and automotive industries have been most severely impacted by automation, losing approximately 42,000 manufacturing jobs over five years. Initial surveys show 71% resident support for the UBI program.
The OECD has designated South Korea's UBI pilot as a "priority observation case" and will publish an assessment report by end of 2028.
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