Gangneung City Strengthens Care, Veterans, and Vulnerable Group Infrastructure... Advancing as a Welfare City Felt by Citizens

Gangneung City, Gangwon Province (Mayor Kim Hongkyu), is advancing as a welfare city that citizens can truly experience by implementing a variety of welfare policies, including strengthening the local care system, enhancing respect for national veterans, and improving infrastructure to protect vulnerable groups.

A meeting of veterans' organizations held on February 21. Provided by Gangneung City

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With the goal of enabling residents to receive care where they live, Gangneung City will fully launch its own integrated care model, the "Gangneung Anae Integrated Care," from 2025. The city is taking the lead in establishing a local care system ahead of the enforcement of the Integrated Care Support Act in 2026.

In particular, the city is systematically building the care infrastructure by opening care service counters in towns and neighborhoods, enacting integrated care ordinances, establishing public-private cooperation networks, and creating dementia-friendly communities.

Gangneung City's proactive promotion of integrated care and its systematic operational foundation have become benchmarks for other local governments. The city plans to secure a total budget of 820 million won for the integrated care support project in 2026, including 410 million won in national funding, ensuring a more stable establishment of the Gangneung-style integrated care model.

Gangneung City will also raise the veterans’ allowance in 2025 and has allocated a total of 5.65 billion won for veterans-related expenditures, an increase of 940 million won compared to the previous year, further enhancing recognition for the sacrifices and contributions of national veterans.

Scene of signing the Gangneung Anae Integrated Care Business Agreement. Provided by Gangneung City

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To invigorate veterans’ projects tailored to the characteristics of each organization, the city provided 312 million won in operating and project expenses to 10 veterans’ organizations. It also hosted events such as the West Sea Defense Day Photo Exhibition, the 70th Memorial Ceremony for Memorial Day, and the 75th Anniversary of the Korean War, with over 1,000 participants, thereby promoting the spread of veterans’ culture in the local community.

To further strengthen practical support and build a solid foundation of respect and gratitude for veterans, Gangneung City plans to expand leisure programs for veterans’ hall members and pursue facility remodeling, so that national merit recipients and their families can enjoy a more comfortable environment and a variety of activities.

In addition, Gangneung City is accelerating improvements to the welfare infrastructure for the homeless. The city will demolish two of the four existing buildings at Gangneung Municipal Welfare Center, the only homeless shelter in the Yeongdong region, and invest a total of 7 billion won to construct a new three-story, 1,350-square-meter (409-pyeong) facility by 2028.

Gangneung Anae Integrated Care Roundtable. Provided by Gangneung City

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This expansion will not only address safety issues in outdated facilities but also provide temporary protection rooms, greatly enhancing emergency response and protection functions for homeless individuals in crisis. The expanded space will play a significant role in resolving welfare blind spots by supporting housing stability and self-reliance.

Mayor Kim Hongkyu stated, "We will establish an even more thorough and reliable welfare system across all welfare policies so that Gangneung can become a welfare city where citizens feel secure and cared for."

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