Chungnam to Provide '100,000 KRW per Month' Until 36 Months of Age

[Asia Economy (Hongseong) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Chungnam Province will provide 100,000 KRW monthly to infants and toddlers under 36 months of age residing in the region.

The province announced on the 9th that the support period for the ‘Happiness Care Allowance’ will be extended from the previous under 24 months to under 36 months.

The Happiness Care Allowance is a universal welfare program first introduced by the province among all metropolitan local governments nationwide, aimed at overcoming low birth rates and reducing childcare costs.

The support is available regardless of income or assets if the guardian and the child share the same address in Chungnam and actually reside there.

Originally, the province introduced this system in 2018 under the slogan ‘Chungnam, a good place to raise children.’ At that time, the support target was limited to children under 12 months, but in November last year, the criteria were expanded to children under 24 months when the name Happiness Care Allowance was adopted. This means the eligibility was expanded twice.

Through this, the province expects that about 13,000 babies born between December 2017 and October 2018 will be included in the Happiness Care Allowance recipients, benefiting a total of about 40,000 children.

Those who previously received the Happiness Care Allowance but stopped due to exceeding the age limit can continue to receive it without a separate application.

However, if the guardian or payment account has changed after the payment was stopped, a separate application must be submitted to the local community service center at the child’s registered address by the 13th of this month.

Also, those who have never applied for the Happiness Care Allowance can apply through the local community service center or the Government24 online application. The Government24 online application is only available if the guardian is a parent.

The province has sent text messages (SMS) to guardians of children whose payments were previously stopped and plans to send advance notices through each city and county.

Lee Jeong-gu, Director of the Low Birthrate Health and Welfare Office of the province, said, “The province will continue to develop and implement various policies to overcome the low birthrate issue and strive to reduce the childcare burden on families facing economic difficulties in child care.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.