"Baby births down 28% in 5 years"... The place declaring war on low birthrate

Seodaemun-gu "Total Commitment to Building a Sustainable Birth Support City"
Implementation of 18 Projects in the Low Birthrate Response Master Plan
Total Investment of 47.3 Billion KRW from Next Year to 2028

Lee Seong-heon, Mayor of Seodaemun-gu, and other attendees of the 'Seodaemun-gu Low Birthrate Response Policy Report Meeting' are holding placards with slogans such as 'Birth Support City Seodaemun' and performing a demonstration. (Photo by Seodaemun-gu Office)

Seodaemun-gu, Seoul (Mayor Lee Seongheon) announced on the 7th that it will consolidate its administrative capabilities to realize a 'Sustainable Childbirth Support City.' As the issue of declining birth rates has become serious, the local government has taken the unusual step of establishing a mid- to long-term master plan to respond. For example, the annual number of births in Seodaemun-gu was 1,363 in 2022, a 28% decrease compared to five years ago, and the number of deaths exceeded the number of births by more than 1.5 times.

Recently, the district announced that it has established the 'Low Birthrate Response Master Plan,' consisting of 18 projects across six areas: ▲Reducing Childcare Burden ▲Care and Education ▲Guaranteeing Childcare Time ▲Housing Support ▲Awareness Improvement ▲Responding to Population Changes, becoming the first autonomous district in Seoul to do so. Starting with an investment of 9.3 billion KRW including 2.8 billion KRW for new projects next year, a total of 47.3 billion KRW will be invested by 2028.

'Teoul Childbirth Incentive' Benchmarking Sweden’s ‘Speed Premium’

In the area of ‘Reducing Childcare Burden,’ the district will be the first nationwide to implement the ‘Teoul Childbirth Incentive’ and ‘Multi-child School Enrollment Allowance.’ The ‘Teoul Childbirth Incentive’ provides Seodaemun Love Gift Certificates worth approximately 1.8 million KRW to families who have their second child within three years after the birth of their first child, benchmarking Sweden’s ‘Speed Premium’ system.

The ‘Seodaemun-gu Style Multi-child School Enrollment Allowance’ differs from the existing one-time multi-child family enrollment congratulatory gift certificates by providing 100,000 KRW per semester for six years, up to a maximum of 1.2 million KRW, to elementary school children who are the second child or beyond. This was newly established because economic burdens increase after elementary school enrollment, while government support is nonexistent.

The ‘Multi-child Babysitter Support’ targets single-income families with two or more children whose income is below 150% of the median income, distinguishing itself from the current government support that only assists dual-income families.

Responding to Short-term Care Needs through ‘Tongbanjang Babysitters’

Seodaemun-gu also announced that it will be the first nationwide to implement ‘Tongbanjang Babysitter Training’ and the ‘Babysitter Pro Certification System’ in the care and education sector.

‘Tongbanjang Babysitter Training’ aims to establish a care system at the neighborhood level, where capable tongbanjang (block leaders) receive designated training and then provide emergency child care. The ‘Seodaemun-gu Style Babysitter Pro Certification System’ certifies residents who have qualifications such as arts and physical education or childcare teacher licenses, and connects them with families experiencing childcare gaps.

In the ‘Guaranteeing Childcare Time’ area, the district plans to promote incentives for paternal parental leave, childcare time reduced work incentives, and family-friendly certified companies. The ‘Paternal Parental Leave Incentive’ provides up to 300,000 KRW monthly for up to one year to male childcare leave takers who have lived in the district for more than one year. The ‘Childcare Time Reduced Work Incentive’ provides up to 200,000 KRW monthly for up to one year to childcare time users residing in the district for more than one year.

The district will provide incentives such as support for workplace family-friendly programs, participation expenses for fairs and exhibitions, and deferral of local tax audits to small and medium-sized enterprises in the district that have received family-friendly certification from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.

Seongheon Lee, the district mayor, is visiting the Seodaemun-gu Public Postpartum Care Center, inspecting the facility and receiving explanations. (Photo by Seodaemun-gu Office)

Support for Housing Purchase and Rent/Mortgage Loan Interest for Multi-child and Newlywed Families

The district will support interest at 1% on housing purchase and rent/mortgage loans up to 100 million KRW for non-homeowners with two or more children whose income is below 180% of the median income, and newlywed families with a combined annual income of 97 million to 120 million KRW. Support can be received once a year up to 1 million KRW for up to two years.

However, the housing price must be 700 million KRW or less, the deposit for jeonse (long-term deposit lease) must be 500 million KRW or less, and for monthly rent, the deposit must be 50 million KRW or less with monthly rent of 600,000 KRW or less. Those with an annual income of 97 million KRW or less are excluded from the district’s support as they are already eligible for Seoul City’s jeonse loan interest support.

The district will provide 3 million KRW per population education lecture if a university located in the district opens a population education course, with a maximum of 6 million KRW per school. The course must be a regular 2-3 credit course with at least 20 students per semester.

Additionally, the district will establish the ‘Seoul Northwestern Region Joint Cooperation System for Ultra-Low Birthrate Response’ to allow residents to jointly use various childbirth and childcare infrastructures and services across autonomous districts. The Seoul Metropolitan Council of District Mayors will submit related agenda items such as the ‘Joint Declaration on Ultra-Low Birthrate Response.’ A ‘Seodaemun-gu Low Birthrate Response Council’ consisting of public officials, district council members, and private experts will be formed and operated.

Total Investment of 47.3 Billion KRW in Low Birthrate Response Master Plan by 2028

The district plans to invest a total of 47.3 billion KRW by 2028, starting with 9.3 billion KRW next year, including 2.8 billion KRW for new projects.

Projects to be implemented next year include training tongbanjang babysitters, the Seodaemun-gu style babysitter pro certification system, incentives for family-friendly certified companies, safe contract support for newlywed and multi-child families, support for university population education courses, recruitment and operation of the MZ Childbirth Support Group, Population Day commemorative events, expansion of the Children’s Fast Track, and support for paternal parental leave incentives.

The ‘Teoul Childbirth Incentive’ and multi-child school enrollment allowance will prepare for implementation in 2025 by undergoing social security system review by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and revising ordinances. The ‘Seoul Northwestern Region Joint Cooperation System for Ultra-Low Birthrate Response’ is a mid-term strategy, and support for foreign international students’ settlement will be pursued as a long-term strategy.

Lee Seongheon, Mayor of Seodaemun-gu, said, “We carefully analyzed existing welfare services from birth to independence and planned policies by life cycle and sector to avoid fragmentation, aligning with government and Seoul City policies. We will devote ourselves to making Seodaemun-gu an attractive and desirable city where many young people settle and children are born to enjoy happiness.”