Expanding Administrative and Welfare Service Recipients and Support
Jung-gu, Seoul (Mayor Kim Gil-seong) announced on the 6th that it will introduce and revise 36 policies across four areas?daily life and administration, childbirth and care, welfare, and environment and safety?to make residents' lives more convenient.
This year, Jung-gu newly introduced the ‘Family Legal Consultation Support Service,’ providing free specialized legal consultations on family relations tailored to various family types such as single-person households and multicultural families. The ‘Visiting Village Tax Accountant’ service will be expanded to operate every even month at the community service centers, easing residents’ tax concerns.
The ‘Visiting Passport Issuance Service’ has been introduced, allowing seniors aged 75 and older and persons with severe disabilities to receive passports at their desired locations without visiting the district office. The ‘Promotion of Registered Mail’ initiative will enable faster mail delivery to single-person households and dual-income couples who previously had difficulty receiving mail directly.
To bridge the digital divide, education on how to use unmanned civil service kiosks will be provided by visiting welfare centers, senior centers, and community service centers targeting seniors. Additionally, a new project to present the Taegeukgi (Korean national flag) upon marriage registration will be implemented.
Moreover, the mandatory closure days for large supermarkets have been changed from the second and fourth Sundays of each month to Wednesdays. The ‘Jung-gu Enterprise Support Fund’ is scheduled to be established by August to support small and medium-sized enterprises and venture companies within seven years of establishment.
Support for pregnancy and childbirth has been further strengthened. The ‘Infertile Couple Treatment Cost’ support, previously limited to 25 treatments per infertile woman, has been expanded to 25 treatments per childbirth and is available even if the treatment fails. The newly introduced ‘Prenatal Health Management Support Project’ will provide up to 130,000 KRW for women and 50,000 KRW for men for examination fees.
Upon birth registration, a ‘Childbirth Family Consideration Sticker’ will be provided, and a ‘Childbirth Family Photo Contest’ will be held in April this year. Additionally, an ‘Eco-friendly Agricultural Products Package for Pregnant Women’ worth approximately 30,000 KRW per person will be distributed.
To address care gaps, the ‘Jung-gu 9th Branch Our Neighborhood Care Center’ has opened within the Jung-gu Education Support Center. The government support eligibility for the ‘Childcare Support Project,’ which dispatches babysitters to homes, has been expanded from households with income below 150% of the median to those below 200%, allowing more families to benefit.
Welfare policies have become more comprehensive. The ‘Seoul City Veterans Allowance’ for national merit recipients has been increased, with a 50,000 KRW raise to 200,000 KRW for veterans aged 80 and above who receive the Combat Honor Allowance, and a 50,000 KRW increase to 150,000 KRW for the Veterans Honor Allowance. The living assistance allowance will be provided regardless of age, and a new ‘National Merit Death Consolation Payment’ of 200,000 KRW has been introduced.
Furthermore, the monthly limit for the ‘Senior Citizens Transportation Support’ program, which provides transportation expenses for all residents aged 65 and older in Jung-gu for buses and taxis, has been raised from 30,000 KRW to 40,000 KRW, invigorating seniors’ social activities.
Policies for pet-owning households also stand out. From March, the ‘Visiting Animal Registration and Health Consultation Service’ will be implemented for vulnerable pet-owning households, and a new ‘Abandoned Animal Adoption Fee Support Project’ will provide up to 150,000 KRW to adopters.
To support single-person households, Jung-gu will open the ‘Single-Person Household Support Center’ in July and provide a ‘Welcome Kit’ including a life guidebook and volume-based waste bags to newly moved-in single-person households.
Livelihood and housing benefits for low-income groups have been increased, and notably, a new ‘Self-Sufficiency Success Support Fund’ has been established, providing 500,000 KRW when participants sustain self-reliance for six months and an additional 1,000,000 KRW for another six months, supporting up to 1,500,000 KRW over one year.
The ‘2025 Didim Seed Account,’ which matches government contributions up to 100,000 KRW monthly at a 1:2 ratio when children save a certain amount, has expanded its eligibility from previously protected children to include children from basic livelihood security recipient households and near-poverty groups. From March, a ‘Agricultural and Food Voucher’ worth 100,000 KRW per month for a four-person household will be provided to livelihood benefit recipient households including pregnant women and children.
Additionally, the ‘Care SOS Service,’ which assists residents facing care difficulties, has increased its annual usage limit by 200,000 KRW to a maximum of 1,800,000 KRW, and the annual usage restrictions per service have been removed for more flexible use. The ‘Seoul-Style Housekeeping Service Support Project’ for pregnant women, dual-income, and multi-child families has expanded its income eligibility from 150% to 180% of the median income, and from this year, families can choose their preferred service providers.
Furthermore, the newly established ‘Resident Physical Activity Project’ supports customized physical activities such as children’s jump rope, women’s line dance, and Saturday walking challenges. A new ‘Couple’s Day Commemoration Event’ will be held in May to reflect on marital relationships and celebrate the meaning of family.
During the summer heatwave period, a ‘Visiting Watering Truck’ will operate to prioritize watering in requested areas. The ‘Infinite Practice Challenge with Jung-gu Residents,’ piloted last year, will be expanded to both the first and second halves of the year to encourage residents’ voluntary participation in waste reduction and recycling activation.
Additionally, ‘Smart Security Lights’ linked to the closed-circuit television (CCTV) control center will be installed in the Hwanghak-dong area, a dense single-person household district, to enhance pedestrian safety.
From February this year, the ‘Vehicle License Plate Sealing System’ has been abolished, and the ‘Jung-gu Comprehensive Welfare Center Mechanical Parking Lot’ will be improved to accommodate SUV vehicles. A ‘Free Architectural Consultation Corner’ will also operate twice a week to resolve architectural inquiries. Detailed information on this year’s policy changes can be found on the official Jung-gu Office blog.
Mayor Kim Gil-seong stated, “We will meticulously implement policies so that residents can feel the changes in their daily lives,” and added, “Jung-gu will do its best to be a reliable support for residents in the new year.”
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