PHETCHABUN: The family of the Thai woman who died in the Itaewon crush in Seoul on Saturday night is entitled to compensation under the Social Security Act, a labour official said on Tuesday.
Sukanya Ongwisetpaiboon, the provincial labour office chief, said the dead woman was Natthicha Makaew, of house No 40 at Moo 9 village in tambon Nong Khwai, Lom Sak district, Phetchabun.
Ms Sukanya led labour officials to visit Natthicha’s father Sakhon and mother Na Makaew at their home on Tuesday.
She informed them they were entitled to payment because Natthicha had worked in Bangkok and was insured under Section 33 of the Social Security Act before resigning to go to South Korea.
Ms Sukanya said Natthicha was in Seoul on a six-month Korean language course in order to get a certificate so she could teach the language in Thailand.
Since the insurance coverage remained in effect for six months after her resignation, Natthicha was still entitled to compensation – 50,000 baht towards her funeral and 15,500 baht from her age pension plus interest.
Ms Sukanya said once her office received documents from Korea confirming Natthicha’s death, the paper work would be processed and the compensation money would be transferred to the beneficiary’s account within three days.
Natthicha’s parents were reportedly also informed by the South Korean embassy on Tuesday morning Seoul would cover the cost of returning her body by air to Thailand.
This was a great relief to the family who had been preparing to borrow 400,000 baht to cover the cost. They were to travel to Bangkok to collect their daughter’s body from the airport and return her to their home in Phetchabun for religious rites.