Jeonnam Province to Implement Customized Birth Policies with 61.5 Billion Won Investment This Year

Integrated Support for Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Child-Rearing
Operation of 39 Projects Including Infertility Treatment

Jeonnam Province is investing over 60 billion won to operate pregnancy and childbirth support programs. Photo by Jeonnam Province

Jeollanam-do will take the lead in implementing customized childbirth policies this year by investing 61.5 billion KRW in 39 projects, working together with the local community to take responsibility for childbirth and child-rearing. The intention is to create an environment conducive to having and raising children, aiming to continue the trend of increasing births for the first time in nine years.

According to Jeollanam-do on the 5th, as of the end of November last year, the number of births in Jeollanam-do stood at 7,605, a 4.2% increase compared to the cumulative total of the previous year, and it is expected that the number of births will rise for the first time in nine years.

To maintain this positive trend, Jeollanam-do plans to further strengthen customized services for those in need of pregnancy, childbirth, and child-rearing support.

First, meticulous support for couples who desperately wish to have children will be further enhanced this year. Starting this year, support for fertility testing will be expanded from once in a lifetime to up to three times, and in addition to government support, Jeollanam-do will provide an additional 40,000 KRW, with expanded test items.

All infertile couples will be eligible for additional support from Jeollanam-do even if they have exceeded the number of government-supported infertility treatments, and up to 1.8 million KRW will be provided for Korean medicine infertility treatment.

To expand the reproductive population and preserve fertility, in addition to support for egg freezing procedures and assisted reproductive technology using frozen eggs, new initiatives this year include support for vasovasostomy and salpingostomy procedures, as well as permanent preservation and freezing of reproductive cells in cases of irreversible infertility.

Comprehensive health management services will be expanded to ensure that all mothers and newborns remain healthy. Currently, five public postpartum care centers are in operation, with two new centers (in Yeosu and Gwangyang) scheduled to open in 2025 and two more (in Mokpo and Yeonggwang) in 2026.

In addition, tailored care services will be provided for vulnerable mothers and newborns, including up to 3 million KRW in medical expenses for high-risk pregnant women, up to 1.2 million KRW for teenage mothers, and up to 10 million KRW for premature infants.

Support to reduce childbirth and child-rearing costs for families will also be greatly expanded. Starting this year, a basic birth allowance of up to 200,000 KRW per month will be provided to children born in Jeollanam-do after 2024 from ages 1 to 18, and newborns will receive a "First Meeting Voucher" (2 million KRW for the first child, 3 million KRW for the second child or more) in the form of a voucher (card points).

Kim Myungshin, Director of Population and Youth Policy at Jeollanam-do, said, "As signs of a reversal in the low birth rate trend are emerging, we will strengthen the integrated provision of customized services for pregnancy, childbirth, and child-rearing, aiming for a total fertility rate of 1.5 by 2030."

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