Special City Hwaseong Rolls Up Sleeves to Expand Education and Safety Infrastructure

127 Billion KRW Invested This Year to Prevent Child Traffic Accidents
'200,000 KRW Monthly' Scholarship Dormitories Operated for University Students
Mayor Jeong: "Doing Our Best to Ease Educational Burdens and Create a Safe Environment"

Hwaseong City in Gyeonggi Province, which was promoted to the fifth special city nationwide this year, has rolled up its sleeves to expand education and safety infrastructure for students and children.

As schools at all levels prepare to open, the city is promoting various policies for new students while making large-scale investments to create a safe environment for children, including traffic accident prevention.

First, the city will provide a 200,000 KRW enrollment congratulatory gift in local currency to approximately 10,500 elementary school entrants this year. Guardians registered as residents in Hwaseong City as of the elementary school enrollment date can apply. Applications will be accepted starting from the 4th of next month. Those interested can apply by visiting the Hwaseong City Hall website or the Eup/Myeon/Dong administrative welfare centers.

Jung Myung-geun, Mayor of Hwaseong City, is pledging to strengthen child traffic safety at the site where he inspects the LED auxiliary traffic lights installed in the child protection zone of Songrin Elementary School in Saesol-dong together with local residents. Photo by Hwaseong City

To prevent traffic accidents involving children, the city will invest 12.7 billion KRW this year. The city plans to implement projects such as ▲installing luminous traffic safety signs in school zones ▲expanding protective fences ▲installing runway-type road markers. Earlier, on the 24th, Mayor Jeong Myeong-geun conducted a joint inspection at the pilot site of the LED vehicle traffic light auxiliary device in front of Songrin Elementary School in Saesol-dong. This device is embedded in the traffic light pole and intuitively conveys signals to drivers, effectively preventing traffic accidents.

The city supports school uniforms and sportswear expenses for new middle and high school students in the area. Among these, support for sportswear expenses is a pledge project of the 8th elected administration and has been provided since 2023. The support targets approximately 24,630 students registered as residents in Hwaseong City. The support amount per person is 400,000 KRW. Considering the number of new students and the required budget, the city allocates the corresponding amount to schools. New students can either receive uniforms in kind from the school or purchase them directly using the support funds.

The city also provides the same 400,000 KRW sportswear support in cash to students attending middle and high schools or alternative education institutions outside the city. This is to prevent youth who do not receive formal education from being excluded from educational administration.

A view of Dobong Narae Hall, a dormitory operated by Hwaseong City in Chang-dong, Dobong-gu, Seoul, to alleviate the housing cost burden for local university students. Residents can live there at an affordable cost of 200,000 KRW per month. Provided by Hwaseong City

To support university students from the city who face double burdens due to tuition hikes and rising rent prices, Hwaseong operates two 'Hwaseong Mayor Scholarship Dormitories' in Seoul. These dormitories, established to nurture talent from Hwaseong, can be used for a monthly fee of only 200,000 KRW, including meals. This year, a total of 438 students will be admitted to the dormitories. By dormitory, there are ▲Dongjak Narae Hall with 219 students ▲Dobong Narae Hall with 219 students.

Policies are also being promoted to ensure equal public education opportunities for children of foreign nationality. Through the 'Gyeonggi Korean Language School' program at the Global Youth Center, which opened on the 22nd, foreign-national children will receive intensive Korean language education before entering school.

Mayor Jeong said, "We will do our best to ensure that students starting the new semester can have a safe and happy school life," adding, "We will strive to practically reduce the economic burden on students, youth, and parents and to ensure that educational opportunities are equally provided to everyone."