Mokpo City Announces Customized Welfare Policies for People with Disabilities

86 Projects Including Construction of Public Children's Rehabilitation Center in Jeonnam Region with 52.5 Billion KRW Investment

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Jeong Seung-hyun] Mokpo City, Jeollanam-do announced on the 23rd that it is focusing on promoting customized welfare policies to support a comfortable and happy life for more than 15,000 people with disabilities and their families.

▲ Establishment of a Public Children's Rehabilitation Center in Jeollanam-do

The city plans to build a ‘Public Children's Rehabilitation Medical Center’ (7.2 billion KRW) by 2024, opening departments such as rehabilitation medicine to provide specialized rehabilitation treatment.

The rehabilitation medical center (3 floors above ground) will employ 17 medical personnel and will be equipped with customized medical equipment (75 types) and facilities that consider the specific needs according to growth stages and types of disabilities to provide professional treatment and education.

The rehabilitation medical center is also expected to alleviate economic burdens related to long-distance treatment, family refugee issues, frequent job changes, and other anxiety factors for families of children with disabilities.

▲ Expansion of Employment Projects for People with Disabilities

The city is promoting four types of employment projects for people with disabilities (general, welfare type, masseur dispatch, Jeonnam-type rights-centered) to provide stable self-reliance foundations for 453 unemployed people with disabilities who wish to engage in economic activities, while offering opportunities for social participation. The number of participants in the employment projects for people with disabilities increased by 60 compared to last year, and the budget was increased by 600 million KRW.

The Jeonnam-type rights-centered project is a new initiative this year with a budget of 170 million KRW, where 20 people with disabilities will engage in activities such as advocacy for disability rights, cultural and artistic activities, and lectures and performances to improve disability awareness.

▲ Support for Convenience in Using Welfare Facilities for People with Disabilities

The city provides support for the operation costs of the Mokpo Disabled Welfare Center, promotes the operation of short-term residential facilities, and supports meal expenses for workers with disabilities at vocational rehabilitation facilities for people with disabilities to ensure they can use welfare facilities without inconvenience.

Additionally, the city operates short-term residential facilities for people with disabilities who need temporary care when their guardians are absent and provides meal support for severely disabled workers employed at vocational rehabilitation facilities for people with severe disabilities who have difficulty finding employment.

▲ Expansion of Voucher Service Support for People with Disabilities

This year, the city is investing 16 billion KRW to expand voucher (usage rights) services.

Along with this, to strengthen the quality of disability activity support services, the city plans to increase the hourly unit price and continuously expand the number of beneficiaries to promote active linkage between support personnel and recipients. Also, to compensate for the reduction in benefits that occurs when existing activity support service recipients turn 65 and transition to elderly long-term care recipients, a 65-year-old compensation benefit is provided.

The city is expanding daytime activity services for people with developmental disabilities (basic type 125 hours per month) and strengthening rehabilitation services for people with developmental disabilities. In addition, customized welfare services such as after-school activity services for adolescent developmental disabilities, psychological support services for children and adolescents, and rental services for assistive devices for people with disabilities are being promoted.

▲ Promotion of Welfare for Happy Families of People with Disabilities

The city supports childbirth expenses of 1 million KRW per fetus for registered women with disabilities who have experienced miscarriage or stillbirth after four months of pregnancy or more.

It also provides home helper services to families with disabilities facing difficulties related to pregnancy, childbirth, childcare, and parenting. The home helper service is a policy that supports prenatal, maternal, infant, and housekeeping assistance for registered people with disabilities residing in Mokpo City who are women with disabilities three months before expected childbirth, women with disabilities raising newborns under four weeks old, women with disabilities raising children under 12 years old, or families of men with severe disabilities.

▲ Support for Stability of Life for People with Disabilities

This year, the city raised the basic amount of the disability pension to a maximum of 307,500 KRW, and increased the disability child allowance paid to children under 18 years old by 20,000 KRW for severe cases and 10,000 KRW for mild cases. Additionally, as a new policy this year, the city is promoting a project to support certification acquisition costs to develop aptitudes and strengthen employment capabilities for people with developmental disabilities.

A city official said, “We will listen to the voices of people with disabilities and their families and steadily implement various welfare policies to create an environment where both people with and without disabilities can live happily.”

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