Households with Three or More Children, Allowing Expressway Bus-Only Lane Use? 'Under Review'

Jeogowi "Considering at the Idea Level"
Also Reviewing Multi-Child Priority Parking and Fast-Track System

It has been reported that a plan is being considered to allow households with three or more children to use highway bus-only lanes.

According to Yonhap News on the 4th, the Low Fertility and Aging Society Committee (LFASC), which oversees policies related to low birth rates and aging within the government, explained that this idea is being reviewed internally at the committee level. However, they added that it is not yet an issue under discussion with the relevant ministries.

Currently, highway bus-only lanes are accessible only to vehicles with nine or more passengers if at least six people are on board. The core of this new plan is to allow vehicles from multi-child families to use these lanes as a measure to encourage childbirth.

LFASC is also reportedly considering installing priority parking lots for multi-child families to use public parking lots first, as well as establishing a fast-track system that allows families with infants and young children to have priority access to national and public facilities.

Additionally, they are considering expanding the automobile acquisition tax reduction benefits from families with three or more children to those with two children, and increasing incentives such as tax credits for family-friendly certified companies that practice family-friendly management.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

LFASC is placing emphasis on expanding benefits for multi-child families because the proportion of families having a second or subsequent child after the first child is steadily decreasing. According to Statistics Korea, among the 249,000 births in the country last year, 156,000 were first-born children, accounting for 62.7% of the total. In other words, fewer than 4 out of 10 children are second-born or later.

The proportion of first-born children steadily increased from 51.5% in 2012 to 56.9% in 2021, and saw a significant rise of 5.9 percentage points last year alone. While the number of first-born children increased by 8,000 compared to the previous year, the number of second-born children decreased by 15,000, and third-born or later children decreased by 4,000. This is the first time since statistics began in 1981 that the proportion of first-born children has exceeded 60%.

Meanwhile, LFASC plans to revise the currently implemented 4th Basic Plan for Low Fertility and Aging Society (2021?2025) early next year and is deliberating on which new policy tasks to include in collaboration with government ministries. Although the current government presented policy directions centered on low fertility measures last March, it has yet to release the revised basic plan.

The Basic Plan for Low Fertility and Aging Society has been established and implemented every five years since 2006. During its implementation, when a new government takes office, the plan has been revised to present related policy directions.

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