Seoul City Supplementary Budget, What Are the 'New Projects'?... Support for Low Birthrate and Freelancers

80 Billion KRW Medical Expense Support for Elderly Pregnant Women
10 Million KRW Support for Jeong and Nangan Restoration Surgery
Freelancer Career Management System Establishment

Seoul City has allocated 1.511 trillion won as the first supplementary budget of the year, drawing attention as funds have been assigned to new projects such as low birthrate countermeasures and freelancer support.

In the supplementary budget plan announced by Seoul City on the 27th, about 8.1 billion won was allocated to address the low birthrate issue. First, 8 billion won was designated to support medical expenses for elderly pregnant women aged 35 and over. The city decided to support costs related to outpatient treatment and examinations for mothers aged 35 and above, who face significant medical expenses, to overcome the low birthrate crisis and alleviate the economic burden on families giving birth. Support of up to 500,000 won is available regardless of income.

With this support project, nearly 4 out of 10 pregnant women giving birth in Seoul are expected to benefit. According to Seoul City, among approximately 38,000 births in Seoul, the proportion of elderly mothers reached 42.3%. The city explained that the proportion of elderly mothers in Seoul is higher compared to other regions.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Support funds for uterine and fallopian tube restoration procedures will also be newly established. A budget of 1 billion won was newly allocated to provide up to 1 million won per person for citizens who have undergone these procedures. The city expects that this support will help reduce the economic burden on families hoping for pregnancy and childbirth. Once the supplementary budget plan passes the city council, applications for low birthrate-related support funds are expected to begin in earnest.

Additionally, the city plans to invest 200 million won to build a career management system to protect freelancers, a special form of employment. Kim Tae-gyun, Director of Planning and Coordination at Seoul City, explained at the supplementary budget briefing, "(Freelancers) find it difficult to receive protection under labor laws and often suffer damages due to unpaid fees," adding, "Seoul City will be the first public institution to introduce an escrow system and will start building a career management system to address the biggest difficulties faced by freelancers."

Seoul City will also support customized environmental improvements for traditional markets and neighborhood commercial districts with a budget of 1.8 billion won to revitalize local commercial areas in autonomous districts that change the mandatory closure days of large supermarkets to weekdays. On the 26th of last month, the Seoul City Council held a plenary session and passed an ordinance amendment that removed the principle requiring mandatory closure days of large supermarkets to be designated as public holidays. The key point is that mandatory closure days can be changed to weekdays after consultations with stakeholders such as large supermarket officials and market merchants. Currently, Seocho-gu and Dongdaemun-gu in Seoul have agreed to change the mandatory closure days to weekdays.

In addition, 1.1 billion won was allocated for autonomous buses that will operate on the Dobong~Yeongdeungpo route early in the morning starting in October. These buses will run under the name "Early Morning Transit Bus" up to 30 minutes earlier than the average first bus time of 3:50 a.m. Furthermore, the city plans to produce two autonomous buses in preparation for additional operation of two routes, including Sanggye~Gangnam, starting next year.