Oh Se-hoon: "Sharing the Burden of Childrearing Is the Solution to Low Birthrate... Expanding Care Infrastructure"

“Seoul, a Child-Friendly City” Policy Forum

“Expansion to 1,258 Facilities Including Neighborhood Child Care Centers”

“Expanded Lunch Support During Vacations and Digital Detox Programs”

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon announced plans to expand care infrastructure, such as community child centers, to a total of 1,258 locations by 2030. Currently, the Seoul Metropolitan Government is pursuing measures to strengthen the child care system by investing KRW 1.87 trillion by 2030.

On the morning of July 8, at the “Seoul, a Child-Friendly City” policy forum held at the Korea Press Center in Jung-gu, Mayor Oh stated, “The transformation into a global top-three city begins with making Seoul a city that is ideal for having and raising children,” and shared these plans.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is delivering a congratulatory speech at the 'Seoul, a City Good for Raising Children' policy forum held on the 8th at the Korea Press Center. Seoul City

The forum, organized by the Korean National Council of Women and the Seoul Metropolitan Government, discussed measures to expand women's participation in society and to create a safe environment for childrearing. Mayor Oh also emphasized, “Women should not have to give up their dreams or careers, nor should parents’ daily lives be disrupted, simply because they are raising children. The most practical solution to the low birth rate is for society to help parents balance work and family, and to share the burden of childrearing together.”

He went on to introduce the “Seoul Birth Support Project,” stating, “Seoul is steadily creating an environment conducive to raising children by expanding support throughout pregnancy, childbirth, and care.”

Mayor Oh also announced plans to further expand care infrastructure, saying, “We will increase the number of Seoul-style kids cafés, community child centers, and neighborhood child care centers—facilities that are greatly loved by parents—to a total of 1,258 by 2030.” Additionally, he promised to improve the quality of care through expanded support for lunch programs during school vacations and the rollout of digital detox programs.

In April, the Seoul Metropolitan Government unveiled the “Seoul Child Companion UP Project,” which focuses on strengthening the child care system. The plan calls for investing KRW 1.8796 trillion by 2030 to increase the number of community child centers and child care centers, as well as to establish a system that provides lunch for children even during school vacations. The educational systems within the care infrastructure will also be improved. Seoul’s flagship educational welfare policy, “Seoul Learn,” will be expanded to include all children at community child centers throughout the city, in an effort to close the educational gap for vulnerable children.

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