Jinju City Announces New Year Policies ... Strengthening Citizen-Centered Administration

Expansion of Citizen Safety Insurance Coverage and Changes Across Five Key Sectors

Jinju City in South Gyeongsang Province has organized and announced 85 policy changes for the new year of 2026, categorized into five major sectors.

This announcement covers a wide range of changes, not only in administrative policies but also including information on newly established infrastructure that citizens can experience in their daily lives. The sectors include: ▲Administration, Safety, and Economy ▲Culture, Tourism, and Sports ▲Social Welfare, Health, and Education ▲Urban Development, Transportation, and Environment ▲Agricultural Policy.

▶ Administration, Safety, and Economy

First, the tax deduction rate for "Hometown Love Donations" on contributions exceeding 100,000 won but not exceeding 200,000 won will be raised from the previous 16.5% to 44%. Coverage for the "Citizen Safety Insurance" will also be expanded this year to include death caused by natural and social disasters, as well as support for victims of sexual crimes.

Additionally, small and medium-sized enterprises that hire unemployed youth as full-time employees and retain them for more than five months will receive wage support of up to 5 million won. Young people born in 2007 and 2008 will be provided with up to 100,000 won in "Jinju Love Gift Certificates" to cover the cost of obtaining a driver's license. Furthermore, the "Future Aviation Vehicle (AAV) Demonstration Center" and the "Re-Born Center" for the new silver generation are scheduled for completion in the first half of the year, while the "Innovation City Complex Cultural Library" is set to be completed in the second half.

View of Jinju City Hall.

▶ Culture, Tourism, and Sports

The annual support amount for the "Culture Nuri Card" for the culturally underprivileged will be increased from 140,000 won to 150,000 won. The "Youth Culture and Arts Pass" support program will see its amount raised from 150,000 won to 200,000 won, and the eligibility will be expanded from age 19 to ages 19 and 20.

In particular, following the operation of the lantern creation center "Jinjubit Maru" since last year, a lantern storage facility called "Bit Damso" will be built in the second half of this year. In Mangyeong Park, a traditional culture experience facility that offers accommodations, called the "Traditional Culture Experience Center," will be completed in October. In addition, a rowing experience center will be established at the Jinyang Lake Park site, and a park golf course will be built on the site of the former Micheon Middle School. This year will also see a variety of sports events, including international competitions such as the ▲Asia Esports Tournament ▲Presidential National Men's and Women's Fencing Championship ▲Gyeongsangnam-do Sports Festival for All.

▶ Social Welfare, Health, and Education

With the 2026 standard median income for a family of four set to rise by 6.51%, support for livelihood benefits and related programs will be increased. As the aging population leads to a growing number of seniors in need of care, the "Community Integrated Care Support Project" will be implemented to provide tailored and integrated services for them.

To improve the treatment of social welfare facility workers, each worker will receive 200,000 won for health checkups. Emergency care services will be provided for children aged 6 to 12 on weekdays until midnight, within a daily limit of 5,000 won. In addition, the ▲Toy Bank and ▲Hamo Health Hill at the Seongbuk-dong Child Welfare Center, which was completed at the end of last year, began operations in January, and the ▲Public Kids Cafe "Byeolbyeol Hamo Playground" will undergo a pilot operation in January and open fully in February.

▶ Urban Development, Transportation, and Environment

The urban regeneration projects that have been underway are now entering their final stages. A "Youth Hub House" will be built on the site of the current Youth Training Center, and in the Gangnam District, the "Youth Stay Center," a youth rental housing complex, and the "JAR Harmony Center," a residence space for local artists, will be completed.

On the parking lot site of Nongae Market, the "Imagination Remake Center," which includes a parking facility with a total of 217 spaces, will be established. The former Sangdae-dong Court site will see the completion of the "Glocal Content Campus" for nurturing local creators. Additionally, projects such as ▲Hotan-dong Bangah Intersection improvement ▲Pedestrian overpass in front of Eunhasu Elementary School ▲Ihyeon-dong public parking lot construction will be completed as planned. The city also plans to further strengthen its foundation as a garden culture city through events and projects such as ▲Jinju Garden Expo ▲registration of "Wolasan Forest Jinju" as a local garden ▲Mangnyeong Park development ▲remodeling of the Jinyang Lake Sunset Observatory.

▶ Agricultural Policy

The subsidy amount for farmers and fishermen will be raised from 300,000 won to 600,000 won for single-person households, and from 600,000 won to 700,000 won for two-person households. To enhance the welfare of female farmers in response to the aging rural population, the eligibility for "Special Health Checkups for Female Farmers" will be expanded from ages 51-70 to ages 51-80.

Furthermore, the "Agri-food Voucher," which was previously available only to households receiving livelihood benefits that included pregnant women, infants, or children, will now be available to households that include young people. The "Fruit Snack Support Program," which provides domestically grown seasonal fruit snacks, will also be implemented for first- and second-grade students using the elementary school after-school program.

More detailed information on Jinju City's new systems and policies for 2026 can be found on the Jinju City website under "About Jinju → City Government Information."