Hyunduk Choi Pledges to Protect Namyangju Children's Smiles with Data-Driven Solutions

Hyunduk Choi, Namyangju Mayoral Candidate, Announces Key Pledges for Children's Day
In-Depth Analysis of ChildFund Korea's Child Growth Environment Index
Pledges Focused Budget to Improve Weak Medical and Child Population Indices

On the occasion of the 104th Children's Day, Namyangju mayoral candidate Hyunduk Choi announced the 'Child-Friendly Useful Series' pledge to dramatically improve the practical quality of life for children in Namyangju.

Namyangju mayoral candidate Hyunduk Choi announced the 'Child-Friendly Useful Series' pledge to drastically improve the actual quality of life for children in Namyangju on the occasion of the 104th Children's Day. Photo by Hyunduk Choi

This pledge has attracted attention for its 'scientific prescription' tailored to the current situation in Namyangju, based on a detailed analysis of the '2026 Korea Child Growth Environment Index' report published by the child welfare specialist organization ChildFund Korea.

In a press release, candidate Choi stated, "We have moved beyond simply declarative slogans to coldly assess the reality facing our children based on authoritative data," adding, "Addressing the vulnerabilities indicated by the data is the most practical role the mayor must fulfill."

According to ChildFund Korea's analysis, Namyangju achieved excellent results exceeding the national average in both education (81.5 points) and welfare (79.1 points). In particular, middle school English (83.7 points) and mathematics (85.0 points) academic achievement levels are among the highest in the country, further proving Namyangju's reputation as a leading city for education.

On the other hand, the health (72.3 points) and community (73.3 points) categories scored relatively lower, highlighting the urgent need for policy intervention. Specifically, the supply of child-specialized medical resources stood at 72.6 points, falling short of the national local government average of 74.5 points, and the child suicide risk management level remained at 72.0 points, indicating a clear need for improvement.

In response, candidate Choi proposed the 'Useful Series' focused on four main initiatives: expanding 24-hour Dalbit Children's Hospitals in each region, operating Safe Zones for Strong Minds, developing child-centered, life-oriented cities, and supporting future talent and young dreamers.

First, to address medical service gaps, incentives will be provided to attract pediatric specialists, and a public and community-based care cooperation system will be established to ensure children can safely receive medical care even at night or on holidays. Additionally, the plan includes strengthening systems for the early detection of children at high risk of suicide and supporting tailored mental health interventions to closely monitor and protect children's emotional well-being.

Noting that the population growth and retention level for children in Namyangju is particularly low at 62.7 points, the plan will accelerate the creation of a 'life-oriented city' through comprehensive innovation of housing, transportation, and childcare infrastructure. The goal is to build an environment ideal for raising children, prevent population outflow, and raise the current child traffic safety level of 79.8 points to the highest in the country, making Namyangju the safest city for children.

Finally, candidate Choi emphasized, "Namyangju allocates the largest portion of its total budget to social welfare," and pledged, "We will use this budget in the most 'useful' way possible to make Namyangju the top child-friendly city in the country according to ChildFund Korea's index."

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