Jeongeup mayoral candidate Lee Hak-soo pledged to provide 1.5 million won in relief funds per citizen if elected, surpassing his previous term's support. He criticized rival Kim Min-young's fluctuating pledge of 1.2 million won, calling it untrustworthy.
The cumulative application rate for South Korea's 1st and 2nd high-oil-price disaster relief funds has surpassed 63%, with nearly 23 million people applying. Jeollanam-do province recorded the highest application rate at 67.4%.
Carmine G. Agnello, grandson of former Gambino crime family boss John Gotti, has been sentenced to 15 months in prison for defrauding the Small Business Administration of roughly $1.1 million through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. Between April 2020 and November 2021, Agnello submitted false information about employee headcount for his Jamaica, Queens-based business Crown Auto Parts & Recycling, diverting approximately $420,000 into a crypto business. He pleaded guilty to wire fraud in September 2024 and was ordered to pay $1,268,302 in restitution.
