On the 24th, a special meeting between Gangnam District Mayor Jo Seong-myeong, who has four children, and 21 parents with multiple children was held at Dogok Information and Culture Library.
Gangnam-gu (District Mayor Jo Seong-myeong) hosted a Happy Date event with the district mayor on the 24th at Dogok Information and Culture Library, inviting 21 parents with multiple children.
Gangnam-gu was the only one among Seoul's 25 autonomous districts to see an increase in the number of births last year. According to the resident registration population statistics announced by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety in January, the number of births in Gangnam-gu in 2023 was 2,350, an increase of 280 (13.5%) from the previous year (2,070). Additionally, according to data analyzed by Jongno Academy on June 23, which reviewed the student status of 6,899 elementary schools nationwide, Gangnam-gu had the highest net inflow of elementary students last year with 2,199. Amid the crisis of a birth rate in the 0.7 range, Gangnam-gu's increase in birth rate is drawing attention, and the district prepared this event to listen to the vivid voices of parents raising children and reflect them in district policies. This is the first time Gangnam-gu has held a meeting exclusively for parents with multiple children.
In particular, the pre-event stood out by providing rest and healing so that attendees could momentarily escape from childcare. Healing was prepared for parents, and exciting playtime for children. Attendees enjoyed a rare break by experiencing natural aromatherapy and nail art. During the event, the Dogok Indoor Children's Playground in the same building was opened, and volunteers took care of the children who came with their mothers.
At the main event, Jo Seong-myeong, Mayor of Gangnam-gu and a parent of four children as well as an experienced caregiver, shared the difficulties and concerns faced by residents. When discussing the happy and challenging moments as parents with multiple children, a mother of three children said that the happiest moment was seeing her children playing well together without their mother, which brought laughter from the audience. Mayor Jo empathized, saying that seeing grown children rely on and consult each other brings peace of mind.
Serious discussions about Gangnam-gu's childcare policies also took place. A mother of two children, both working parents raising their children fully, mentioned that while dishwashers and robot vacuums help with housework, sometimes she leaves for work without even folding laundry, suggesting the idea of laundry service support. Opinions pointing out blind spots in policies were also raised. Most childcare support focuses on those who are about to have children, so support for current parents with multiple children is needed, which received great applause. It was also added that although current childcare support focuses on infants and toddlers, support is needed during middle and high school stages as well. Above all, everyone nodded in agreement when someone expressed the hope that facilities and environments where children can freely run and play would be created.
Meanwhile, a participant who actively uses the childcare service expressed hope that Gangnam-gu's distinctive birth and childcare support policies would be more widely promoted. Among Seoul's 25 autonomous districts, Gangnam-gu provides the highest birth and childcare support fund (2 million KRW) for the first child and separately supports postpartum health care costs (up to 500,000 KRW). Including government and Seoul city support, up to 7.4 million KRW is provided for the first child. To promote the use of childcare services for dual-income families, the district also supports 50% of the personal burden for residents with income above 150% of the government support criteria who are not eligible for government subsidies.
Mayor Jo Seong-myeong of Gangnam-gu said, “It was a meaningful occasion to hear the realistic problems and concerns of parents with multiple children vividly,” and added, “We will frequently create opportunities to listen to the diverse voices of multi-child families and actively reflect them in our district’s birth and childcare policies.”
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