"Transforming into a Child-Friendly City"... Gyeongju City Unveils 16 Comprehensive Policies to Tackle Low Birthrate Head-On

Comprehensive Support from Childbirth to Childcare and Housing
Gyeongju City Targets Population Rebound
2 Million Won for Marriage, 4.8 Million Won for Families with Multiple Children
Groundbreaking Support for Young People’s Marriage and Settlement

Amid the low birthrate crisis, Gyeongju City has unveiled a comprehensive set of measures that address the entire life cycle, from marriage to childbirth, childcare, and housing, taking a proactive approach to the issue.

On March 19, Gyeongju City announced that it has prepared a total of 16 new and expanded initiatives to overcome the low birthrate and will begin their full-scale implementation.

Gyeongju City Hall Exterior View

This policy is characterized by its focus on a structural response that goes beyond fragmented support, addressing the sequence of 'meeting–marriage–childbirth–childcare–housing.'

The city has set its vision as 'Precious Children, Happy Families, Gyeongju Together,' and will carry out its policies based on six core strategies: ▲meeting and marriage ▲happy childbirth ▲comprehensive childcare ▲secure housing ▲work-life balance ▲gender equality.

Gyeongju City has strengthened practical support from the childbirth stage onward.

Support includes providing nutritional supplements for couples experiencing infertility, and operating health management services in which professionals visit the homes of pregnant women and families with infants, thereby assisting the entire process from pregnancy preparation to postnatal care.

In particular, for families with multiple children, the city will arrange congratulatory visits and offer encouragement for child-rearing, helping to foster a childbirth-friendly environment.

In the area of childcare, the city will operate a 'Moonlight Children's Hospital,' which offers medical care at night and on holidays. In addition, elementary school vacation care centers and emergency childcare centers for sick children will help minimize childcare gaps for dual-income families.

Furthermore, the 'K-Bodeum 6000' program will expand care services to weekday evenings and weekends, addressing blind spots in childcare coverage.

Housing policies have also been significantly strengthened.

Gyeongju City will ease the financial burden for households with three or more children by providing up to 4.8 million won per year in mortgage interest support and up to 400,000 won in moving expenses.

Additionally, the city will strengthen the foundation for local settlement by supplying both shared housing and rental housing for young people and newlyweds. Policies to encourage marriage are also included.

Moving forward, Gyeongju City plans to develop these into practical, field-oriented policies designed with an integrated structure linking marriage, childbirth, childcare, and housing.

Yoon Cheolyong, Director of the Citizens’ Welfare Bureau of Gyeongju City, emphasized, "The low birthrate problem is a structural challenge that cannot be solved through simple support measures," adding, "We will strive to ensure that citizens can feel the impact throughout the entire process of marriage, childbirth, and child-rearing."

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