Pregnant Women Granted 700,000 Won Monthly Transportation Allowance

Kim Sun-soon, head of the Women’s & Family Policy Affairs Office at SMG. (Photos: SMG)

From July, pregnant women living in Seoul will be compensated 700,000 won worth of transportation per person monthly.

Women who are pregnant as of July 1 or later are given the money in the form of credit card or check card points. Beneficiaries are allowed to use the allowance when riding public transportation means. They can also use it to pay for fuel for their cars.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government decided to finance the allowance with its budget to raise pregnant women’s transportation convenience and ease the financial burden of pregnant families.

Seoul Metropolitan Government began to pay 700,000 won in monthly transportation allowance to each pregnant woman on July 1.

Kim Sun-soon, head of the Women’s & Family Policy Affairs Office at SMG, said, “Concern from many citizens and related inquiries have flooded on the provision of the transportation allowance to pregnant women, vulnerable to transportation.

Kim expressed hope SMP’s provision of the transportation allowance for pregnant women would increase their transportation convenience, for the sake of the happiness of the mother and child.

SMG Inaugurates Seoul-Type Kids’ Cafe

Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) has opened a Seoul-type kids’ cafe in which children play at reasonable prices to lower their patent or guardian’s burden. The kids’ café is an indoor public playground that guarantees children’s right to play.

Kim Sun-soon, the head of the SMG’s Women & Family Policy Affairs Office at SMG, which oversees the establishment of the kids’ café, said the Seoul-type kids’ café is designed to raise public interests with a focus on playing and caring and restrict profitability like selling of foods & beverages.

The Seoul-type kids’ café charges 3,000 won per kid and underprivileged kids, such as national public livelihood safety beneficiaries, can be admitted free of charge.

Children play at a first Seoul-type kids’ café, which was opened in Haehwa-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, on May 26.

The kids’ café secures enough space, more than 7 sq. meters per kid, while assistant teachers and facility safety crew members are also posted there. If protectors ask for caring of their children in an urgency case, the kids’ café will offer impromptu child care services.

Users are required to make reservations in advance via the SMG’s public service reservation system. Prior reservations for the opening of a first kids’ café attracted a rush of users, so all seats have been booked until the end of July.

Kim, chief of the SMG’s Women & Family Policy Affairs Office, said, “The Seoul-type kids’ café offers professional and safe child-care services at reasonable prices.”

The reason is that it is a policy of catering to livelihood, reflecting citizens’ life demand, which has an effect of sensing a difference, she said.

The first kids’ café has made its debut at the second floor of the public life hall of celebrating the 1988 Seoul Olympics in Jongno-gu, Seoul. It targets children aged between 3 and 7 and their protectors.

Each user is charged 2,000 won for basic two years. Residents in the Jongno-gu area are giving a 10 percent discount. The café remain open from Tuesday until Saturday.

Starting with a first kids’ café in Jongno-gu, SMG plans to open second and third outlets in Jungnang-gu and Dongjak-gu in July. Seoul plans to increase the number of Seoul-type kids’ cafes to 20 by the end of this year and 100 by 2050.

Seoul-Type Public Childcare System Expanded

A Seoul-type public childcare system, one of Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s election pledges, is being expanded to all ward areas in the capital.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) plans to select 100 more children’s homes this year, to be operated under a Seoul-type public childcare system.

Currently, 446 children’s homes are run under the public childcare system. SMG plans to increase the number of children’s homes, being run under the public childcare system, to 800 by 2025.

The Seoul-type public childcare system is a new type of childcare in which three to five publicly- and privately-run daycares are joined into a community for childcare.

It is designed to prevent excessive competition, save money, conduct joint purchases, share educational materials, teaching aids and educational programs, as well as raise childcare levels.

SMG said the Seoul-type public childcare system, which made its debut last year, yielded a variety of fruits, such as a 32 percent reduction in operation costs through sharing and jointly purchasing of cars, materials and educational aids.

The new system, a model of harmony and shared growth beyond classification types, has raised parents’ satisfaction regarding childcare, it said.