"More Marriages, Fewer Divorces"... Gangwon Sees Tangible Results from Customized Housing and Childcare Policies

Gangwon Province Sees Increase in Marriages for Second Consecutive Year... 6,292 Cases Recorded in 2025

Marriage Rates Rebound After Decade-long Decline... Influx of Early-30s Population Plays a Role

Province Offers Bold Support from Housing Loans to Childcare Allowances

Governor Jin Tae Kim: "We Will Continue to Strengthen Policies That Young People and Newlyweds Can Truly Feel"

Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province (Governor Jin Tae Kim) announced on the 30th that, after analyzing the 2025 marriage and divorce statistics recently released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics, the number of marriages in the province was recorded at 6,292, marking an increase for two consecutive years since 2023.

Kim Jin-tae, Governor of Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, announced on the 30th that according to the analysis of marriage and divorce statistics for 2025 recently released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics, the number of marriages in the province was recorded at 6,292, marking an increase for two consecutive years since 2023. Provided by Gangwon Province

This figure represents an increase of 149 cases (up 2.4%) compared to the previous year, signaling a turnaround from the persistent decline over the past decade, with a rebound beginning in 2023 and continuing upward. In contrast, the number of divorces continued to decrease, falling by 233 cases (down 7.7%) from the previous year to 2,783.

The province attributed these changes to the effectiveness of customized policies targeting young people and newlyweds, as well as shifts in demographic structure.

Comprehensive policies—such as support for childbirth and childcare, alleviating housing costs, providing job and start-up assistance, and improving living conditions—appear to have reduced the economic burden of marriage, thereby driving up the number of marriages.

In particular, tangible policies—such as the Gangwon Basic Childcare Allowance, interest support for newlywed couples' housing loans, Gangwon-type Safe Job Subscription, locally led youth job projects, interest-free loans for young entrepreneurs, and the supply of public housing—have collectively played a significant role.

One notable example is the interest support program for newlyweds' housing loans, which, starting this year, expanded both the eligible period and income criteria. Now, newlywed couples who have reported their marriage within the last 10 years and do not own a home can receive up to 3% annual interest support for two years, within a loan balance limit of 100 million won, helping to ease their housing burden.

Additionally, the Gangwon Basic Childcare Allowance, the first of its kind in the nation, has been expanded since 2023 from children under age 4 to those under age 8. The allowance now ranges from 100,000 won to a maximum of 500,000 won per month, with a total of up to 27.6 million won provided per child. Including this, the province has established a system to support more than 100 million won per child from birth through college.

Furthermore, the recent increase in the population of people in their early 30s—which is the main age group for marriage—has also contributed to the rise. In fact, the number of people in their early 30s in the province has steadily grown from 81,185 in 2023 to 82,347 in 2024, and to 83,582 in 2025.

Governor Jin Tae Kim stated, "The number of marriages in the province is increasing, while divorces are on the decline," and added, "Starting this year, we have expanded both the eligible period and income criteria for the newlywed couples' housing loan interest support program." He continued, "We will continue to strengthen housing, employment, and care policies that young people and newlyweds can truly feel in their daily lives."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.