The Ministry of Science and ICT's Korea Post announced on the 6th that it will implement the 2025 "Post Office Youth Meal Support Start On (温) Project" to alleviate the financial burden of youth preparing for independence and support healthy self-reliance.
This project, supported by Korea Post and carried out by the Korea Post Public Foundation, provides food expenses to youth preparing for independence who have exited from child care facilities from January of last year to the end of February this year. Applications can be submitted from the 6th to the 16th.
Support funds will be provided monthly on the 1st through a prepaid card exclusively for food expenses. This year, 245 individuals will be selected to receive 300,000 won per person each month for 10 months, totaling 8 billion won in project costs.
This project has been implemented for the third year since 2023. It has been evaluated as providing an opportunity for youth preparing for independence, who have exited from care facilities, to grow into healthy members of society through fulfilling meals.
A youth preparing for independence, referred to as Mr. A, who participated in the project last year, noted, "I was overwhelmed by the thought of being alone, but the support for fulfilling meals allowed me to balance my studies and part-time work," adding, "Thanks to Korea Post, I was able to prepare for financial independence, and especially through the networking day, I was able to meet and communicate with friends in similar situations, providing significant emotional comfort."
This year, Korea Post plans to go beyond simple financial support and provide various communication programs to offer emotional and psychological support, helping youth successfully adapt to society.
In particular, plans are in place to expand local meetings to ensure youth living in rural areas can easily participate. The project will also operate with a policy to check in on the well-being of youth showing signs of crisis to provide practical help.
Korea Post's head, Cho Hae-geun, said, "Youth preparing for independence experience both financial burdens and emotional uncertainties as they take their first steps into society," and expressed hope that the Post Office Youth Meal Support Start On (温) Project will serve as a solid stepping stone for their healthy self-reliance.