Seoul's First Baby to Receive 10 Million Won Childbirth and Parenting Support Grant Born in Jung-gu

First to receive 1 million won, fifth up to 10 million won in unprecedented increased support
Kim Gilsung, Jung-gu Mayor, visits baby's home on the 21st to offer congratulations

The first recipient of the 10 million KRW childbirth and childcare support fund in Jung-gu, Seoul (Mayor Kim Gil-seong) was born on the 5th.

Since Jung-gu increased the support fund for the fifth child from 5 million KRW to 10 million KRW last year, the first beneficiary case has emerged. The 10 million KRW childbirth and childcare support payment is the first of its kind in Seoul.

The baby, whom Jung-gu met after more than a year of waiting, is Jo Si-hwan, the seventh child of a couple born in 1995 living in Cheonggu-dong, Jung-gu: Jo Yong-seok (28) and Jeon Hye-hee (28). The ages of the first through sixth children are 10, 7, 6, 4, 3, and 2 years old respectively, making them a rare, large, and happy family these days.

On the 21st, Mayor Kim Gil-seong visited Jo Si-hwan’s home to congratulate the family.

Jeon Hye-hee, who had just left the postpartum care center, said, “Thank you for the congratulations,” and added, “I attended elementary, middle, and high school in Jung-gu, and I want to raise my children in Jung-gu, where various childbirth and childcare supports are abundant.”

When Mayor Kim Gil-seong asked, “Are there any difficulties in raising many children?” Jeon replied, “Our current home is 52㎡ (about 16 pyeong), but as the children grow, we will need a bigger house. The size of the housing supported for multi-child families is small for raising seven children, so it is a concern.”

Mayor Kim Gil-seong responded, “We will look for ways to solve this concern together.”

With the birth of their seventh child, the Jo couple is expected to receive abundant benefits from Seoul city and the national government in addition to the 10 million KRW childbirth and childcare support fund provided by Jung-gu, including: 500,000 KRW postpartum care expenses for mothers residing in Jung-gu for more than six months (Jung-gu); 1 million KRW points for Seoul-type postpartum care expenses support (Seoul city); 700,000 KRW points for transportation expenses for pregnant women residing in Seoul for more than six months (Seoul city); 100,000 KRW points for taxi vouchers equipped with car seats for families with infants under 24 months residing in Seoul (Seoul city); 3 million KRW points for the First Meeting Voucher given to all newborns (national); 1 million KRW monthly parental allowance for children under 2 years old (national); and 100,000 KRW monthly cash allowance for children under 8 years old (national).

In addition, Jung-gu has provided this family with support such as: Dream Start project for the first to third children (integrated services for vulnerable children including learning support, lunchbox support, and psychological therapy); monthly child allowance of 500,000 KRW for the second to sixth children; childcare services for the sixth child; monthly living expenses support of 200,000 KRW for low-income multi-child families; energy vouchers (summer and winter) worth 692,000 KRW for one year; and public rental housing.

To attract the decreasing population in the city center, Jung-gu is implementing a wide range of policies to address low birth rates. First, the childbirth and childcare support fund was dramatically increased. The previous payments of 200,000 KRW for the first child, 1 million KRW for the second, 2 million KRW for the third, 3 million KRW for the fourth, and 5 million KRW for the fifth and beyond were raised last year to 1 million KRW, 2 million KRW, 3 million KRW, 5 million KRW, and 10 million KRW respectively.

The target is parents of newborns who have been registered residents and actually living in Jung-gu for at least 12 months from the date of birth. The support fund is paid in full as a lump sum. From last year to February this year, 571 families have benefited.

Postpartum care expenses are paid up to a maximum of 1.5 million KRW, including Seoul-type postpartum care expense voucher support. The target is families who have lived in Jung-gu for at least six months before the application date and have registered the newborn’s birth. A total of 464 families have received support from last year to this year.

Jung-gu also sends housekeeping helpers to assist pregnant women with heavy physical burdens by doing housework such as cleaning and laundry. Pregnant women who have lived in Jung-gu for more than six months can use housekeeping care services up to five times, four hours each time. Dual-income or multi-child families with income below 150% of the median income can receive Seoul-type housekeeping care services up to ten times.

Furthermore, Jung-gu offers various pregnancy and childbirth support projects including: support for men and women preparing for pregnancy; support for infertility treatment and herbal medicine for infertile couples; registration and health management of pregnant women; medical expense support for high-risk pregnant women; home visits for infants and toddlers; and maternal and newborn health care services.

Mayor Kim Gil-seong said, “I am very pleased that the first recipient of the 10 million KRW support was born in Jung-gu,” and added, “Although the scale of pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare support in Jung-gu is the highest among Seoul’s autonomous districts, we will continue to work harder to create a better environment for raising children.”

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