Oh Se-hoon: "Childcare Facilities to Be Provided in All 426 Districts of Seoul"

Announcement of "Care Policy" on May 8

1 Trillion Won Invested in Integrated Support for Senior Housing and Healthcare

Oh Se-hoon, the People Power Party candidate for Seoul mayor, has unveiled a “care policy” that encompasses everyone from children to the elderly. The core of his plan is to invest 1 trillion won to establish an integrated support system for senior housing, leisure, and healthcare, and to provide childcare facilities in all 426 administrative districts within Seoul.

Oh Sehoon, the People Power Party candidate for Seoul mayor, is seen visiting and moving through Majang Livestock Market in Seongdong-gu, Seoul on the 6th. Photo by Yonhap News

On May 8, at the Seoul Digital Companionship Plaza Eunpyeong Center, Oh announced his vision for “A Seoul Where Children, Parents, and Seniors All Feel Secure.” Over the next four years, he plans to allocate a total budget of 1.041 trillion won to build an “age-friendly city” where people can enjoy housing, leisure, and healthcare services within their own neighborhoods. Oh explained, “Whereas existing care policies separated seniors from their familiar environments and placed them in facilities or medical institutions, this pledge elevates the right to a dignified old age in one's own community to a basic civil right.”

In particular, to establish home-visit medical care and early adoption of home-based treatment, doctors, nurses, and pharmacists will form teams to visit elderly residents. Even those who do not qualify for long-term care benefits will receive support for 80% of their out-of-pocket costs for up to five home visits per year. Oh stated, “The national government covers 70% of the total cost, and individuals are responsible for the remaining 30%. Of that, the Seoul Metropolitan Government will pay 80%, making the service virtually free.” In addition, the annual spending limit for the “Care SOS Service” will be raised from 1.6 million won to 1.8 million won.

Regarding childcare, the first priority is to establish a “Childcare Safety Net for Our Children” by ensuring that regional children’s centers and Our Neighborhood Kiwoom Plus+ facilities are densely distributed within a 10-minute walk. Among Seoul’s 426 administrative districts, the number of Kiwoom Plus+ centers will be increased by 100 to a total of 414, and 30 additional regional children’s centers will be established, bringing the total to 449.

To address meal provision during school vacations, the “Seoul Child’s Reliable Meal” project will be introduced. Starting this summer vacation, “Vacation Lunch Camps” will be piloted at 200 Kiwoom Centers and regional children’s centers for children at risk of missing meals. Oh emphasized, “It is not enough to simply increase the quantity of care. Public care must be provided first during the periods when parents feel most anxious and in the places where it is needed most.”

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