Paju City Addresses Budget Shortfall Concerns
Full Support of 168,000 Won Provided
to 20,000 Female Adolescents Aged 11 to 18
On January 19, Paju City announced that it will fully cover the budget shortfall with municipal funds for the “Gyeonggi Province Universal Support Program for Menstrual Products for Female Adolescents,” which is at risk of not receiving sufficient support due to budget cuts by Gyeonggi Province. This measure aims to ensure that all eligible recipients receive support without any disruption.
The “Universal Support Program for Menstrual Products for Female Adolescents” is a Gyeonggi Province subsidy program that provides up to 168,000 won per year to female adolescents aged 11 to 18, with applications accepted starting in March. However, concerns have been raised that there may be gaps in support by municipality, as Gyeonggi Province has announced that only a portion of recipients will be supported on a first-come, first-served basis, and that the program will end early once the budget is exhausted.
If Gyeonggi Province’s policy is applied as is, Paju City would only be able to support 8,667 out of a total of 20,612 eligible recipients, leaving 11,945 without support when the program ends. To address this, Paju City plans to secure an additional 2 billion won through a supplementary budget and cover the entire shortfall with municipal funds, ensuring that all eligible recipients receive benefits without exception.
The total budget required for this program is 3.463 billion won, with Gyeonggi Province originally responsible for 30% and Paju City for 70%. According to the original structure, 1.039 billion won from the province and 2.424 billion won from the city should be allocated. However, Gyeonggi Province has allocated only 1.456 billion won, which is 42% of the total required budget, and has announced that the program will end early once the budget is exhausted, resulting in inevitable large-scale support gaps by municipality.
Kim Jisuk, Head of the Youth and Adolescents Division, stated, “It goes against the purpose of a universal support program to provide benefits to only a portion of recipients due to budget shortages. We will take proactive measures to ensure that all adolescents can receive equal benefits without experiencing a sense of relative deprivation.”
She further emphasized, “Universal support for menstrual products for female adolescents is more than just providing supplies; it is a symbolic policy that respects the health and rights of future generations. As this forms the foundation for realizing our goal of making Paju a leading city in building a basic society in Korea, we will pursue this initiative without wavering.”
Meanwhile, Paju City plans to continue requesting additional support from Gyeonggi Province for the budget shortfall to ensure the stable operation of the program.
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