"Making Our Children Happier"... Gwangju Leads as a Child-Friendly City

Grandchild Caregiver and 10 AM Start for Elementary School Parents
G-Pass and Samsamo Neighbor Care Also Receive Positive Response

A group photo of small care communities. Provided by Gwangju City

Gwangju City is expanding citizen-oriented child-friendly policies to ensure that children can live happier lives. The city has introduced innovative policies such as the "Grandchild Caregiver" program and the "10 AM Start for Elementary School Parents" system, both implemented for the first time in the nation. In addition, Gwangju has launched the "Gwangju G-Pass," which provides free bus fares for children.

As a result of these achievements, Gwangju became the first metropolitan city in June to receive the "UNICEF Child-Friendly City Advanced Certification," establishing itself as a leading child-friendly city among metropolitan local governments.

Gwangju City is receiving positive feedback from citizens for being the first in the country to implement the "Grandchild Caregiver" program, which supports grandparents in caring for their grandchildren to promote children's emotional stability and reduce the childcare burden on parents, as well as the "10 AM Start for Elementary School Parents" system, which supports flexible working hours for parents of elementary school students.

The city has also expanded the "Public Nighttime Children's Hospital" initiative to increase nighttime and holiday pediatric care, ensuring that children can receive timely medical services. For small business owners raising children, the city provides childcare service support of 600,000 won per month for up to six months, totaling 3.6 million won. In addition, women sole proprietors can receive up to 3 million won in substitute labor costs.

Other initiatives include ▲ "Samsamo Neighbor Care," a childcare-sharing policy where neighbors help care for each other's children, and ▲ "Birth Mom Sharing Store," which circulates various maternity and childcare supplies through donation and sharing. These community-based care environments are helping to spread a childcare-friendly atmosphere throughout the city.

The "G-Pass," which ushered in an era of free public transportation for children, is considered a flagship achievement of Gwangju's child-friendly policies. The "G-Pass" is a groundbreaking policy that fully covers public transportation fares for children and has received strong support. Children aged 6 to 12 can ride for free, while teenagers aged 13 to 18 receive a 50% discount. All children residing in Gwangju are automatically eligible through their existing transportation cards, with no separate application required, and can use public transportation such as buses and subways free of charge.

Lee Youngdong, Director of the Department of Women and Family, stated, "We are pursuing a variety of child policies to make Gwangju a city where it is easy to raise children. As the first metropolitan city to receive the UNICEF Child-Friendly City Advanced Certification, Gwangju will continue to lead as a 'city at the forefront of child-friendly policies' and will further strengthen efforts to create an urban environment where children can grow up healthy and happy."