Uiryeong-gun Implements Payment of '100,000 Won Healthy Child Allowance from Third Child and 95-Year Longevity Celebration Fund'

Welfare Policy, Notable 'Nationwide First'

Uiryeong-gun, Gyeongnam, is the first in the nation to implement two Uiryeong-type welfare policies: the Uiryeong-type Multi-Child Family Sturdy Allowance and the Longevity Celebration Fund.

According to the county, the 'Uiryeong-type Multi-Child Family Sturdy Allowance,' which provides 100,000 KRW per child for families with three or more children starting from the third child, and the 'Longevity Celebration Fund,' applied by lowering the age to 95, have both completed their first payments to eligible recipients as of the 21st.

O Tae-wan, Uiryeong County Governor, visited the family of eight siblings Ju Jung-il and Lee Kyung-mi on February 6, 2024.
[Image provided by Uiryeong County]

On the 7th, the county paid 100,000 KRW each to 328 recipients of the 'Multi-Child Family Sturdy Allowance,' and earlier on the 5th, it paid 1,000,000 KRW each to 113 recipients of the '95-Year-Old Longevity Celebration Fund.'

The unusual implementation of these two projects, the first of their kind nationwide, reflects the determination of County Governor Oh Tae-wan. Last year, the county ranked first in Gyeongnam for total fertility rate and population aged 100 or older, accelerating the push for these policies.

Governor Oh instructed the preparation of long-term policies for elementary, middle, and high school children aged 8 to 18, as current benefits such as childcare allowances for the third child and above and child allowances are limited only up to age 8.

O Tae-wan, the governor of Uiryeong County, visiting the home of 100-year-old Yeo Tae-yeop on October 13, 2022. [Image provided by Uiryeong County]

He also sought ways to express gratitude and respect to the elderly, who have fulfilled their responsibilities and roles as members of society for a long time.

The Multi-Child Family Sturdy Allowance provides 100,000 KRW per eligible child aged 8 to 18 in families with three or more children, where the parents and children have been continuously registered residents in the county for over one year according to the family relation certificate. Providing a multi-child benefit of 100,000 KRW to the third and subsequent children from age 8 to 18 after starting school is the first such policy nationwide.

While about 20 local governments nationwide provide 1,000,000 KRW at age 100 as a Longevity Celebration Fund, Uiryeong-gun is the only one to lower the age to 95 and provide 1,000,000 KRW.

The county plans to take a further step by announcing more innovative welfare policies next year. Governor Oh is considering expanding the 'Sturdy Allowance,' currently given to the third child and above, to include the second child.

He also urged efforts to develop distinctive elderly policies such as filial piety incentives and to provide 'universal welfare' for socially vulnerable seniors, including support for beauty, hairdressing, and bathing expenses.

Governor Oh said, “It is time to create a turnaround with bold policies that surpass previous ones from a long-term perspective,” adding, “We will continue to discover good policies to make Uiryeong-gun a place where welfare benefits are abundant throughout the entire life cycle, from the beginning to the end of life.”