Sangjin Shin: "Postpartum Care Allowance of 500,000 Won Cut, But 155.8 Billion Won Remains for North Korean Children?"

Sangjin Shin, Mayor of Seongnam, Shares Article on North Korea Support Budget
Criticizes Suspension of 500,000 Won Postpartum Allowance Per Child in Gyeonggi Province
"Says Top Priority for National Budget Should Be Children Born in South Korea"

"Is there no postpartum care allowance of 500,000 won for our own children, but a 155.8 billion won budget for infants and young children in North Korea?"

Sangjin Shin, Mayor of Seongnam. Provided by Seongnam City

On September 17, Sangjin Shin, Mayor of Seongnam, shared an article titled "Support to North Korea Blocked... Government Allocates 667.5 Billion Won in This Year's Budget" on his social media account, strongly criticizing Gyeonggi Province's decision to suspend postpartum care support.

Mayor Shin pointed out, "Although the whole country is buzzing about the low birth rate being a national disaster, our own children are actually being neglected," and added, "Gyeonggi Province has stopped the postpartum care allowance of 500,000 won per child, citing financial difficulties."

He went on to say, "Meanwhile, although the central government claims there is no concrete spending plan, it retains a 155.8 billion won budget for supporting infants and young children in North Korea," criticizing the priorities set in the national budget.

Mayor Shin also mentioned that central government funds and local government budgets are sourced from different financial pools. He emphasized, "While it is true that the central and local budgets come from different pockets, if the system is flawed, it should be fixed, and if the structure is different, it is the role of the state to find ways— even if that means redirecting the budget flow."

He argued, "The top priority for national funds should be 'our children' born in the Republic of Korea, not North Korea listed in the nation's ledgers."

Screenshot of Facebook homepage of Shin Sangjin, Mayor of Seongnam

Previously, Gyeonggi Province decided to end the postpartum care allowance program at the end of this month, citing budgetary constraints. As a result, families of newborns who register the birth next month or later will not be eligible for support.

This program was introduced in 2019 during the tenure of then Governor Jae-myung Lee. Gyeonggi Province and municipal governments have each covered half of the project cost, providing 500,000 won in local currency per newborn child to families. However, Governor Choo Mi-ae announced the suspension of the program, saying the province was unable to allocate 8 billion won in the budget for October to December this year due to fiscal difficulties.

Public backlash over the discontinuation of support is also spreading. A petition opposing the sudden abolition of the postpartum care allowance on the Gyeonggi Province petition board has garnered more than 20,000 signatures. Another petition calling for Governor Choo's resignation gained over 30,000 signatures within five days of posting.

Gyeonggi Province responded to the petition with an official written statement from the spokesperson and changed the petition status to "response completed."

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