Jongno-gu Plants Trees to Celebrate Newborns...A Meaningful Step to Address Low Birthrate

Part of the 'Jongno-gu Child Birth Commemoration Project' Celebrating Precious Personal Births

Commemorative photo after planting a tree to celebrate the baby's birth

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Jongno-gu (Mayor Kim Young-jong) is drawing attention for taking a meaningful step that moves away from viewing births solely as a population policy for national development and instead focuses on spreading human-centered values by celebrating the birth of each "precious individual."

Starting this year, the district has been implementing a "Tree Planting Event" and a "Our Baby Photo Posting Project" for babies under one year old as part of the 'Baby Birth Commemoration Celebration Project.'

According to the provisional results of the 2020 Birth and Death Statistics from the Population Trend Survey announced by Statistics Korea in February this year, the number of births in South Korea last year was approximately 272,400, with a total fertility rate of 0.84.

Among these, Jongno-gu recorded about 500 births and a total fertility rate of 0.52.

Unlike the 2000s when more than 1,000 newborns were born annually in the area, the number of newborn baby residents has now decreased to about 40 per month. The district is shifting its administrative direction to personally care for each infant to increase the perceived effectiveness of its policies.

First, the "Baby Birth Commemoration Tree Planting" is an event where Jongno-gu provides about 50 infants under one year old with a commemorative tree and a planting space in Jongmyo Square Park.

Parents can choose from tree species such as Ipop tree, Crape myrtle, Plum tree, and Cheongdan maple. After planting, a signboard with the baby's name and family wishes like "The sunshine will always shine on you" and "A deeply rooted tree does not sway in the wind" is attached.

Since Jongmyo Square Park is an open space for everyone, families can visit anytime to care for their child's tree, which is a significant advantage.

This event is prepared in two sessions; the first was held on the 10th, and the second session will take place at 10 a.m. on the 24th.

With 26 babies participating, the event will be held while strictly adhering to quarantine guidelines, just like the previous session. Participants are recruited from applicants for childbirth and childcare support funds and birth celebration goods, and before the actual tree planting, they will learn simple planting methods.

Meanwhile, Jongno-gu is also conducting the "Our Baby Photo Posting Project" in collaboration with the district newsletter Jongno Sarang.

This project targets infants under one year old, and families send their baby photos to the district office department, which then publishes them in Jongno Sarang.

Required documents include the baby birth celebration posting application form, one baby photo, the baby's prenatal name, and congratulatory messages from parents. The application form can be downloaded from the district office website. If documents are sent to the person in charge's email (changh32@mail.jongno.go.kr) by the 5th of each month, families can check the page dedicated to their precious child in Jongno Sarang on the 25th of the same month.

Jongno-gu’s "Baby Birth Commemoration Tree Planting Event" and "Our Baby Photo Posting Project" are expected to demonstrate the potential for forming a "care community" where the entire local community watches over and supports the growth of children, who are members of our society, thereby serving as a catalyst to alleviate the low birthrate problem.

Mayor Kim Young-jong said, "What infants and toddlers need most is the love and attention of adults," adding, "I hope everyone will warmly welcome our district’s newborn angels one by one and pay close attention to the small trees in Jongmyo and the photos in the newsletter."

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