Dongducheon City "Blessing of Quintuplets in Low Birthrate Era... Sharing Joy with Citizens"

Mayor Park Hyeongdeok: "We Will Do Our Best to Create a City Where Children Can Be Born and Raised Well"

A panoramic view of Dongducheon City Hall.

The city of Dongducheon, Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Park Hyung-deok) sent a congratulatory message on the 23rd to the Dongducheon citizens Kim Jun-young and Sagong Hye-ran, who gave birth to quintuplets through natural pregnancy. The city is celebrating the couple's birth and is working on preparing support measures at the city level.

On this day, the city stated, "The news that both the mother and the quintuplets are healthy has spread joy and a celebratory atmosphere throughout Dongducheon," emphasizing that "this is regarded as a joyous occasion not only for the quintuplet family but also for the entire city of Dongducheon and the Republic of Korea."

Earlier, on the 20th, Kim Jun-young (31), a physics teacher at a high school in Dongducheon, and Sagong Hye-ran (30), who works in educational administration at a school in Yangju, welcomed three boys and two girls. The birth of quintuplets in Korea was the first in three years since 2021. This is the first case of quintuplets born through natural pregnancy in the country.

Dongducheon’s population peaked at 98,277 in 2016 but has gradually declined to 87,113 as of the 19th of this month. From January to August 2024, only 175 babies were born, and the elderly population ratio has reached 25.26%, entering a super-aged society. In this context, the birth of quintuplets is expected by the city to inject new vitality into Dongducheon’s population policy.

The city plans to use this birth as an opportunity to accelerate its population policy and intends to establish a foundation that allows children in the region to grow up healthily by utilizing both public and private resources.

Ultrasound image of quintuplets.

Mayor Park Hyung-deok of Dongducheon said, "The birth of quintuplets is a great celebration for Dongducheon, and I want to share this joy with the citizens. Although Dongducheon is currently facing population decline and economic difficulties due to the withdrawal of U.S. Forces Korea, I hope that this news of the quintuplets’ birth will become a catalyst for new hope and development, including attracting an international skating rink and preparing support measures for Dongducheon."

Dongducheon is implementing multifaceted policies to overcome the population decline crisis. From 2022 to 2024, the city is conducting a population extinction fund project worth a total of 6 billion KRW, including fostering Dongducheon-style daycare centers, establishing comprehensive childcare support centers, and creating youth-specialized libraries. The city plans to strengthen more practical support and policies following the birth of the quintuplets.

In particular, the city provides childbirth incentives of 1 million KRW for the first child, 1.5 million KRW for the second, 2.5 million KRW for the third, and 5 million KRW for the fourth and subsequent children, along with an additional 1 million KRW for postpartum care expenses.

Dongducheon is the first in Gyeonggi Province to introduce and operate a pregnant women’s rental taxi system that allows pregnant women to freely travel within Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi areas.

Additionally, through the public health center’s one-stop visiting service, the city operates various support programs for mothers and infants, including postpartum helper support, customized education, and counseling services.

For families with multiple children, a systematic care system is in place to reduce family burdens by supporting up to four postpartum helpers.

The city plans to create an environment where all citizens, not just the quintuplet family, can give birth to and raise children comfortably. It will listen to various difficulties related to parenting, care, and education and expand necessary support.