Incheon City to Distribute 'Aikkum Allowance' Next Month... Full Launch of '1 Billion Plus' Low Birthrate Policy

Monthly 150,000 KRW Support Totaling 19.8 Million KRW for Ages 8-18
Considering Fairness, 50,000 KRW Monthly from 2016 Birth Year This Year
Transportation Costs for Pregnant Women and 'Cheonsa Support Fund' for Ages 1-7 in Effect

Separate from the government child allowance, the 'Ai Kkum Allowance' program, which provides 150,000 KRW per month to children aged 8 to 18 in the Incheon area, will be implemented starting next month.

Incheon City announced on the 29th that it will begin accepting applications for the 'Ai Kkum Allowance' from August 1 as part of the '1 Eok Plus Ai Dream (i dream)' policy, which supports children born in Incheon with a total of 100 million KRW until they turn 18.

The 1 Eok Plus Ai Dream policy provides a total of 100 million KRW by combining 72 million KRW from existing government and local government support such as parental benefits, child allowances, first meeting vouchers, and elementary to high school education expenses, with an additional 28 million KRW from Incheon City's own budget for angel support funds, Ai Kkum Allowance, and transportation expenses for pregnant women.

Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok held a press conference on the 18th to announce the Incheon-style low birthrate policy, '100 Million Plus i Dream.' 2023.12.18
Photo by Incheon City

Among these, the Ai Kkum Allowance will provide 1,980,000 KRW in total by giving 150,000 KRW monthly from 2032, when children born in 2024 turn 8, until they reach 18 years old. However, considering fairness with children born earlier, support will start from children born in 2016 (8 years old), whose child allowance will be discontinued this year, and the eligible recipients will be gradually expanded each year to include those born in 2017, 2018, and so on.

The support amount will be paid as Incheon e-eum regional currency points: 50,000 KRW per month for children born between 2016 and 2019, 100,000 KRW per month for those born between 2020 and 2023, and 150,000 KRW per month for children born from 2024 onward.

Applicants must have both the child and parents registered as residents in Incheon City. While online application via Government24 is the standard procedure, those who find it difficult can visit their local administrative welfare center to apply. Additionally, children born in 2016 who have already had their birthdays can apply by September 29 (or by September 27 for in-person applications at administrative welfare centers) to receive retroactive payments starting from the month of their birthday.

With the introduction of the Ai Kkum Allowance, Incheon City's low birthrate policy, 1 Eok Plus Ai Dream, will be fully implemented. Since April, 11,700 people have applied for the transportation expenses for pregnant women (500,000 KRW), and 5,700 people have completed applications for the angel support fund (1.2 million KRW annually) for children aged 1 to 7, introduced in June.

Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok said, "With the completion of Incheon-style low birthrate policies, the burden of childbirth and child-rearing has been reduced from before birth until reaching adulthood," adding, "As this is a groundbreaking policy led by Incheon, we expect it to have a positive impact on the birthrate."

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