Youth Meetings, Marriage, and Care Support... Incheon-Type Birth Policy 3 Additional Announcements

Incheon City has introduced a new birth policy focused on supporting young people's meetings and improving marriage and care environments.

Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok held a press conference on the 13th and additionally announced three types of Incheon-style birth policies: i Plus Ear Dream, Maet Dream, and Gilreo Dream. These are measures to address low birth rates following the previously implemented 1 Billion Dream, House Dream, and Transportation Dream.

The i Plus Ear Dream is an event that provides natural meeting opportunities for unmarried men and women (aged 24-39) who live or work in Incheon, held five times a year with 100 participants each time to support young people's dating.

The city plans to hold the event in the form of a couple festival at hotels, public facilities, and outdoor venues in the city between June and November. Various incentives will also be provided if matched couples continue dating for more than three months or get married.

The i Plus Maet Dream project opens 15 public facilities in Incheon free of charge to prospective couples and supports up to 1 million KRW of wedding expenses. This year, 40 prospective couples residing in Incheon will be supported.

The i Plus Gilreo Dream is a support policy to fill care gaps occurring during child-rearing, promoting three projects: '1040 Angel Care,' 'Gap Care,' and 'Warm Meal Care.' It expands services up to a maximum of 1040 hours for families in need of care, provides gap care during evening hours and weekends, and offers free lunch support during vacations for children at risk of missing meals.

Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok is announcing three additional Incheon-style birth policies (I-Plus Ear Dream, Maekeo Dream, Gilleo Dream) on the 13th at the city hall briefing room. Photo by Incheon City

Previously, Mayor Yoo received positive responses by consecutively announcing Incheon-style birth policies such as i Plus 1 Billion Dream, House Dream, and Transportation Dream since 2023. In particular, the 1 Billion Dream policy, which supports a total of 100 million KRW until the child turns 18 for children born in Incheon, and the Thousand Won Housing policy, which charges a rent of 1,000 KRW per day (30,000 KRW per month), attracted nationwide attention.

Thanks to these Incheon-style birth policies, the number of births in Incheon last year was 15,242, an 11.6% increase from the previous year, far exceeding the national average growth rate of 3.6%, ranking first among 17 metropolitan cities and provinces. In terms of net migration rate, one of the indicators of population inflow, Incheon has not recorded a negative figure since 2021 and continues to hold the top position nationwide this year as well.

Through the six-series Incheon-style birth policies, Incheon City plans to firmly establish itself as a 'child-friendly city' and actively share policy models to overcome the national population crisis with central and local governments. The city has previously proposed various low birth rate policies to the government, which has reflected them in policies such as submitting a bill to establish a Population Strategy Planning Department, creating a Low Birth Rate Response Chief position within the Presidential Office, and adjusting the calculation criteria for local allocation tax for low birth rate response.

Mayor Yoo said, "The Incheon-style birth policy is not simply a childbirth promotion measure but a policy that provides meticulous support throughout the entire life cycle from young people's meetings to marriage, childbirth, and child-rearing," adding, "We will continue to discover effective policies to ensure Incheon firmly establishes itself as a 'child-friendly city'."