"Leave Them Until Midnight"... Seoul Expands Nighttime and Morning Childcare

Extended Nighttime Care at Community Child Centers
Seoul-type Morning Care Kiwoom Centers Expanded to 30 Locations
Free Access for Any Child in Need of Care

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is introducing "extended nighttime care," which will operate until midnight. Taking into account care gaps faced by dual-income families and reflecting demand in the early morning hours, the city will also increase the number of areas offering "morning care" to 30 locations.

On the 23rd, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced the "Plan to Establish a Safety Net for Elementary School Gap-Care," centered on introducing new nighttime care, expanding morning care, and expanding Kiwoom Centers.

Seoul City announced on the 23rd its "Plan to Establish a Safety Net for Gaps in Elementary School Childcare," centered on the introduction of new nighttime care, the expansion of morning care, and the expansion of Kiwoom Centers. Photo by Yonhap News. The photo shows the area around an elementary school in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul.

First, the existing care hours, which previously ran until 8 p.m., will be extended to as late as midnight. This service will be provided at 49 community child centers and 3 Wooridongne Kiwoom Centers, and is expected to significantly ease the childcare burden on parents who work late hours. Earlier, starting in January, the city fully launched the "extended nighttime care" service at 52 community child centers and Wooridongne Kiwoom Centers for families needing care due to late work hours or emergencies.

Operating hours will be flexibly adjusted by each center. Among the 50 locations (47 community child centers and 3 Wooridongne Kiwoom Centers) that provide extended nighttime care services, operations will run until 10 p.m., and 2 community child centers will further extend their hours until midnight.

The city will also work to fill care gaps not only at night but also in the early morning hours. Since January, the city has increased the number of "Seoul-type Morning Care Kiwoom Centers" from 25 to 30, focusing on areas with high demand. They operate from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., before school starts. The newly added areas are five autonomous districts with high morning care demand: Jungnang-gu, Eunpyeong-gu, Seodaemun-gu, Yangcheon-gu, and Dongjak-gu.

Applications for morning and nighttime care are open free of charge to all children, even if they are not registered at a community child center or a Wooridongne Kiwoom Center. Applications can be submitted through the "Wooridongne Kiwoom Portal" website, or by visiting or calling a nearby center.

In addition, by the end of the year, the city will add four more public Kiwoom Centers within the Wooridongne Kiwoom Center network, expanding the total number of Wooridongne Kiwoom Centers to 282. The city plans to further strengthen the elementary care safety net in a way that parents can tangibly feel, by newly establishing Kiwoom Centers mainly in areas with high demand for care.

As of the end of January 2026, a total of 278 Wooridongne Kiwoom Centers have been confirmed for installation: 237 general-type centers, 33 convergence-type centers, and 8 hub-type centers. Currently, 275 centers are in operation. Of the three centers still under installation, two locations including Guro-gu will begin operations within the year, and construction at one location in Songpa-gu will resume as soon as the cultural heritage excavation survey is completed.