Gumi City, a 'Childcare Partner' Easing the Burden for Parents with Multiple Children

Support for Housing Loan Interest and Moving Expenses
Expanded Extra Points in Public Sector Hiring and Distribution of Agricultural and Marine Product Coupons
Benefits for the Use of Public Parking Lots and Public Vehicles

On May 20, the city of Gumi announced that it is addressing the real-life concerns of parents with multiple children through "tangible" support measures aimed at improving quality of life, such as assistance with housing, childcare, and daily living.

View of Gumi City Hall [Photo by Gumi City]

According to census statistics released last year, Gumi has the highest number of households with multiple children in North Gyeongsang Province, totaling 24,698 families (second place is Pohang, with 24,686 families).

The city is going beyond conventional support and positioning itself as a strong "childcare partner" by offering a variety of new and diverse benefits, including assistance with housing, employment, and agricultural products, all designed to ease the childcare burden of parents.

This year, Gumi launched a new initiative to help large families secure bigger homes for the first time.

This program provides up to 4.8 million won per year in interest subsidies for home purchase loans to households with three or more children who are registered as city residents. The initiative attracted significant attention, and by early April, 194 households had completed their applications.

The newly introduced moving expense support for large families covers actual moving costs up to 400,000 won when such families either move to Gumi or relocate within the city.

So far, 28 households have applied, and applications continue to come in steadily at a rate of about two per week, reflecting strong interest among citizens.

The program not only covers the cost of moving companies but also includes real estate agency fees and cleaning fees for the new residence, aiming to provide comprehensive support while also encouraging population inflow.

Additionally, since 2023, Gumi has expanded its Onnanum Project, originally launched in 2020 to provide free public vehicle rentals for disadvantaged groups, to include large families. To date, there have been 199 instances of such families (a total of 1,054 people) using this service.

Furthermore, through its public parking fee reduction policy implemented since 2023, the city has provided more than 900,000 benefits to large families, and usage is on the rise.

In the public sector, Gumi is actively giving preferential treatment to large families in job opportunities as well.

Since 2023, the city has expanded the extra points awarded to large families in the document screening process for environmental management worker recruitment, resulting in 23 people benefiting from this advantage over three years.

In addition, starting in 2025, all departments at city hall will be required to grant extra points (up to five points in the document screening process) to applicants from large families when hiring temporary workers.

These measures are drawing attention from citizens as they provide real opportunities for people who have experienced career interruptions due to childrearing to participate in economic activities.

Moreover, the agricultural and marine product purchase support program for large families, which drew an enthusiastic response with 11,824 households applying and closing early, will provide coupons worth up to 100,000 won per household in 2025.

These coupons can be used freely on local agricultural product shopping malls such as 'Saiso' and 'Gumi Farm', making it a cost-effective policy that reduces food expenses for families while also boosting the local economy.

Meanwhile, the city is also implementing practical support measures for large families, including the provision of pay-as-you-throw garbage bags, medical expense support for families with three or more children, reduction of acquisition tax, water utility fee support, scholarships, and discounts on public facility usage fees through the Dadunge Card program.

A city official stated, "In the face of the national crisis of low birth rates, local governments must share responsibility for childcare through practical support," adding, "We will continue to push forward with tangible policies for large families so that raising children in Gumi becomes the best possible 'credential'."

Gumi's proactive administrative efforts are expected to bring substantial benefits to large families.

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