Oh Se-hoon, the Seoul mayor, on the 16th said, "We will not miss a single child," adding, "I believe this is the most certain investment for Seoul's future."
On this morning, the mayor posted on social media (SNS) an article titled "A city where having and raising children is happy, we will complete 'Seoul, the special city of quality of life'," saying, "The pledge I engraved firmly in my heart upon taking office was to ensure that raising children no longer becomes a lonely struggle only for parents."
The mayor said, "I watched up close as my elder daughter and her spouse struggled to juggle dual-income parenting," adding, "I have always thought, 'Only when the city takes joint responsibility for children can it truly become a city with a good quality of life.'"
He went on to say, "Since taking office, I have worked tirelessly to build a Seoul where not only children but also mothers and fathers are happy," adding, "From 'Our Neighborhood Care Center' and 'Seoul-style kids cafe' to the 'grandchild care allowance,' Seoul's unique care policies are already proving their results in residents' lives."
The mayor also said, "Care is now not a choice but the core of urban competitiveness," while noting, "The reality is still far from easy."
He continued, "When vacations come, the desperate need of parents to find a 'cram school that serves meals' remains a task we must solve," adding, "We must now move beyond simple 'care' to high-quality public care that takes responsibility for children's 'health' and 'learning' as well."
The mayor said he would improve Seoul's care service standards through the 'Seoul Child Companion UP Project' released at City Hall this morning. The project is a policy to ease the expense and care burden on households raising children. It will care for children during school vacations for dual-income couples and expand eligibility for care allowances for grandparents who look after their grandchildren. In addition, a gap care service available from 7 a.m. during weekday commute hours and until midnight after work will be expanded. To that end, the Seoul city government plans to invest a total of 1.8796 trillion won in this project by 2030.
The mayor said, "We will complete a close-contact care service system with no blind spots," adding, "We will keep running to complete the 'true special city of quality of life' where having and raising children is happy."