Changwon Special City to Provide Grandchild Care Allowance and Egg Freezing Procedure Support Starting in July

Mayor Hong Nam-pyo: "Striving to Create a Childcare-Friendly Environment Where Raising Children Is Not Difficult"

Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam will implement the Grandchild Care Support Program and the Oocyte Cryopreservation Procedure Support Program starting this July to overcome low birth rates and promote family welfare.

On January 31, Hong Nampyo, Changwon Special Mayor (second from the left), held the "Raising Many Children Together" agreement ceremony with company representatives, women's organizations, and labor unions.

The Grandchild Care Support Program is aimed at grandparents who care for two or more children under the age of 12, specifically those caring for children aged 24 to 35 months. The program recognizes the social value of grandparental care and provides financial support to help reduce the childcare burden on parents.

Once selected as a beneficiary after applying, grandparents must complete four hours of online training in advance to ensure quality care. Grandparents may apply even if they reside at a different address, but the parents and children must live within Changwon City.

Parents with parental authority can apply at their local administrative office. If a grandparent takes care of a grandchild from a household with a registered address in Changwon and whose median income is at or below 150% of the standard, they will receive 200,000 KRW per month for caring for one child for at least 40 hours per month, 300,000 KRW for two children, and 400,000 KRW for three children, for up to one year.

The Changwon-style Oocyte Cryopreservation Procedure Support Program, the first of its kind in Gyeongnam, was established through a social security system consultation last April to address the increasing risk of infertility due to rising average ages of marriage and childbirth.

Eligible applicants are unmarried women aged 28 to 40 who have resided in Changwon for at least three months, with a personal median income at or below 180% of the standard and an AMH (Anti-M?llerian Hormone) test result of 1.5 or lower. Women in their 20s with an AMH result below 1.0 due to ovarian tumor-related conditions or cancer treatment are also eligible.

The program covers up to 2 million KRW, or 50% of the out-of-pocket procedure cost. Applications must be submitted in person at the local administrative welfare center, and procedures must be completed within three months of receiving the support approval. Support is provided to the first 10 applicants on a first-come, first-served basis.

Changwon Special City Mayor Hong Nam-pyo stated, "We will strive to create a child-rearing-friendly environment where parents can raise children without difficulty by providing a variety of support from pregnancy to childcare."