"Is Dongdaemun-gu a 'Good Place to Raise Children'? 2023 Happiness Blueprint?"

[Seoul District News] Dongdaemun-gu Supports Household Services for Pregnant Women and Dual-Income Families, Provides Infant Household Taxi Fare Assistance in Line with Seoul Parents' Happiness Project... Gangnam-gu Offers 2 Million KRW for First and Second Child, 1 Million KRW for Postpartum Health Care... Geumcheon-gu Provides 'Safety Packages (Snacks, Dolls)' to Comfort Abused Children with Wounded Hearts

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Lee Pil-hyung) will continue to promote various infant and toddler support projects in 2023 in collaboration with Seoul City to create a child-friendly Dongdaemun-gu.

Starting in 2023, as part of measures to overcome low birth rates, various projects such as the Seoul Mom and Dad Happiness Project and the Parent Allowance, an intensive investment project for infants and toddlers, will be implemented.

In line with this, Dongdaemun-gu will actively implement the Mom and Dad Happiness Project, including household service support for pregnant women, dual-income families, and multi-child families, Seoul Mom and Dad taxi support, and operation of the Seoul Kids OK Zone.

From next year, pregnant women, dual-income families, and multi-child families will be able to receive household services such as cleaning, laundry, and cooking, and families with children under 24 months will receive 100,000 KRW per year in exclusive taxi usage points.

Also, the infant allowance of 300,000 KRW previously given to children raised at home born after 2022 will be changed to a parent allowance from next year, expanding monthly payments from 350,000 KRW to 700,000 KRW depending on the child's age, significantly reducing the burden of childcare costs.

In the second half of 2023, projects such as incentives for parental childcare leave and support for childcare assistants' care expenses will also be actively reviewed for introduction.

Additionally, as a specialized project, the district will continue various supports next year, including providing childbirth congratulatory supplies for newborns and congratulatory payments ranging from 300,000 to 1,000,000 KRW for multi-child elementary and secondary school admissions.

A district official stated that by actively participating in the Seoul Mom and Dad Happiness Project, they aim not only to temporarily increase the birth rate but also to create a happy childcare environment with the hearts of guardians raising children, thereby jointly solving the social problem of low birth rates.

Lee Pil-hyung, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, said, "Overcoming the low birth rate is an important and urgent task that we must all solve together," and added, "We will continue to pay attention and make efforts to create a 'Dongdaemun-gu good for having and raising children' and a 'Dongdaemun-gu where parents and children are happy.'"

Gangnam-gu (Mayor Cho Sung-myung) will expand the childbirth and childcare support fund and postpartum health care cost support fund starting next year as part of childbirth support measures. The existing support of 300,000 KRW for the first child and 1,000,000 KRW for the second child will be increased to 2,000,000 KRW each, and the income criteria for postpartum health care costs will be abolished, with support up to 1,000,000 KRW.

Until 2021, Seoul's 25 autonomous districts provided childbirth and childcare support funds, but in 2022, the Ministry of Health and Welfare introduced the 'First Meeting Voucher,' which provides a 2,000,000 KRW voucher to all newborns, leading 20 districts to stop providing childbirth and childcare support funds. The remaining districts that maintain support focus mainly on the third child and beyond.

However, Gangnam-gu decided to increase support funds for the first and second children, who account for more than 95% of all births in the district, seeing this as a practical way to help childbirth families. Accordingly, the ordinance amendment was promoted from July, reflected in the 2023 main budget, and finalized on the 19th.

Following the ordinance amendment and budget approval, guardians of first and second children born on or after January 1, 2023, will receive 2,000,000 KRW each in childbirth and childcare support funds, up from 300,000 KRW and 1,000,000 KRW respectively. Support for the third and fourth or more children remains at 3,000,000 KRW and 5,000,000 KRW respectively.

Applicants must have had resident registration in Gangnam-gu for at least one year as of the newborn's birth registration date. Either parent can apply for the support at the local community service center when registering the birth. Applications are also accepted if the residence period is less than one year at the time of application, but payment will be made once the one-year residence period is reached.

Additionally, the district will significantly relax the eligibility criteria for the 'Postpartum Health Care Cost Support Project,' which supports the health management of mothers and newborns.

The district currently supports out-of-pocket expenses up to 300,000 KRW per newborn for families using government-supported postpartum helper services, limited to households with both parents continuously residing in Gangnam-gu for six months before birth and with income below 200% of the median income.

From next year, this income criterion will be abolished, and support will be expanded up to 1,000,000 KRW per newborn. Eligible families are those with newborns born on or after January 1, 2023, who have continuously resided in Gangnam-gu for one year prior to the birth date.

Mayor Cho Sung-myung of Gangnam-gu said, "We hope that the expanded support projects starting next year will ease the initial childcare burden for childbirth families," and added, "We will continue to create a child-friendly Gangnam with diverse and effective childbirth promotion policies."

Geumcheon-gu (Mayor Yoo Sung-hoon) provides 'Comfort Packages (snacks, dolls)' to comfort the wounded hearts of abused children.

The Comfort Package support project provides dolls (nicknamed 'Todaki') or snacks to children at abuse sites.

When abused children are transferred from the scene to a facility, they often spend more than an hour in a vehicle. At this time, the Comfort Package is provided to satisfy hunger and relieve anxiety.

Since there are often siblings or other children around the abused child at the scene, the Comfort Package will be provided not only to the abused child but also to all surrounding children.

Park ○-ah, a first-grade female abused child who received snacks, said, "If I share these with friends during group program time at the temporary protection facility, I think I will be very popular," showing that the Comfort Package is a source of strength for the children.

This project was initiated based on ideas from child abuse dedicated public officials and abuse prevention police officers working on the front lines for abused children.

Yoo Sung-hoon, Mayor of Geumcheon-gu, said, "I hope this will provide comfort and strength to abused children who need special attention and support," and added, "We will continue to strive to prepare necessary support measures for abused children."

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