Gyeonggi-do to Invest 10.3 Trillion Won Over 3 Years to Establish Self-Reliance Foundation for Adolescent Parents

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province will invest a total of 10.3 trillion KRW over three years in 56 projects, including providing child-rearing expenses of 200,000 KRW per child per month to adolescent parent families starting in July, to stabilize their living conditions and establish a foundation for self-reliance.

On the 16th, the province announced that it has established the "1st Gyeonggi Province Adolescent Parent Family Support Plan (2022?2024)" with the vision of "Happy Gyeonggi for Adolescent Parents and Their Children," focusing on four major strategies: ▲strengthening childcare support ▲employment, economic independence, and housing support ▲establishing customized integrated support ▲pregnancy, childbirth, and health promotion.

This support plan follows the "Adolescent Parent Family Support Ordinance," enacted nationwide for the first time on December 31, 2020, and Article 5-2 (Support for Adolescent Parents) of the newly established "Youth Welfare Support Act" on March 23, 2021.

The main projects were finalized through consultations with officials supporting adolescent parent families, a survey on adolescent parents, and deliberations by the Adolescent Parent Family Support Committee. The total project scale amounts to 6.2849 trillion KRW in national funds, 2.081 trillion KRW in provincial funds, and 1.9425 trillion KRW in city and county funds, totaling 10.3084 trillion KRW.

Starting in July, the province will first implement a child-rearing expense support project targeting adolescent parent families. The eligible families are those with an income recognition amount at or below 60% of the median income. Children in these families will receive 200,000 KRW per month. Detailed schedules will be announced and applications accepted through the relevant administrative welfare centers.

Additionally, adolescent single-parent households that have participated in self-reliance activities such as schooling, vocational training, or employment within the past year will receive a "Self-Reliance Promotion Allowance" of 100,000 KRW per month for one year. Furthermore, the province will promote the "Adolescent Mother Medical Expense Support," providing 1.2 million KRW per pregnancy to mothers aged 19 or younger.

Ji Joo-yeon, Director of the Women's and Family Bureau of the province, emphasized, "We will establish a foundation so that adolescent parents can stably raise their children and become socially and economically independent," adding, "We will do our best to provide comprehensive support services that enable them to grow into mature and healthy families."

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