Gwangjin-gu Increases Total Public and Private Childcare Centers to 55 This Year, Raising Public Childcare Rate Above 40%

Secured 6.14 Billion KRW in National Subsidies at Seoul City Public Institution Expansion Review... Selected for Hana Financial Group Public Childcare Center Project

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gwangjin-gu (District Mayor Kim Seon-gap) is actively working on expanding public and national daycare centers to create a "best place for raising children."

In April, the district received approval for 6.141 billion KRW in national and city funds during the first 2020 Seoul Metropolitan Government public daycare expansion review.

The secured national and city funds will be used for purchasing and remodeling private and home daycare centers, as well as for equipment expenses, which is expected to provide high-quality public childcare.

Additionally, in May, Gwangjin-gu was selected for the Hana Financial Group public daycare center contest project and will receive 470 million KRW in support.

This contest project is a social contribution initiative jointly promoted by Hana Financial Group and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, creating a new model of public-private cooperation to increase the utilization rate of public daycare centers and address low birth rates, making it highly significant.

With the support from Hana Financial Group, the district plans to convert a private daycare center located in Junggok 3-dong into a public daycare center. The utilization rate of public daycare centers in Junggok 3-dong is 33%, which is below the Gwangjin-gu average, making it a priority area for public daycare installation within the district.

Kim Seon-gap, Mayor of Gwangjin-gu, stated, "As the number of dual-income couples increases, a more comprehensive care service network is needed. The district will strive to purchase private and home daycare centers and expand public daycare centers to establish a reliable and trustworthy public childcare foundation."

Currently, Gwangjin-gu has a total of 51 public daycare centers, and plans to expand by at least four centers this year, raising the public childcare rate to over 40%.