Every mother who gives birth in Seoul will be eligible to receive a financial assistance of 1 million won. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Feb. 14 (Korea Bizwire) – Starting this year, every mother who gives birth in Seoul will be eligible to receive a financial assistance of 1 million won. Announced on February 13, the city government has eliminated the requirement of residing in Seoul for at least six months, making the support available to all mothers who give birth in the city.
The new initiative is a voucher program that offers 1 million won per newborn to mothers residing in Seoul. The vouchers are available to all mothers regardless of income and can be used for mother and newborn health management services, purchasing medicines, herbal medicines, health foods necessary for postpartum health recovery, and postpartum exercise classes.
Previously, mothers who moved to Seoul shortly before giving birth were excluded from the support due to the six-month continuous residence requirement. This led to consistent complaints, averaging about 30 cases per month, from mothers who were ineligible for the support due to not meeting the residency requirement.
Seoul’s city government decided to abolish this requirement to extend benefits to mothers who genuinely reside in Seoul and require postpartum care, even if they haven’t met the six-month residency condition. However, the requirement for the child’s birth registration in Seoul remains in place to prevent duplicate benefits across different cities or provinces.
Mothers can apply for the voucher online (www.seoulmomcare.com) or by visiting their local community center. (Image courtesy of Seoul city)
Mothers can apply for the voucher online (www.seoulmomcare.com) or by visiting their local community center. Online applications do not require additional documents, while those applying in person at the community center must bring their ID and mobile phone for identity verification.
Kim Sun-soon, director of Seoul’s Women and Family Policy Office, stated, “Reflecting on the voices of unfortunate mothers who could not receive support due to the residency requirement, we decided to abolish the six-month residency condition.
As this initiative aims to help mothers recover physically and emotionally from the significant journey of pregnancy and childbirth, we encourage all eligible families to actively apply.”
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
