10 Areas, Including Sejong and Danyang, Selected for Low Birthrate Response Projects; 5 Billion Won in Special Grants

[Financial News] Sejong City and nine other local governments across the country, including Danyang and Yeongdong counties in North Chungcheong Province and Gyeongju City in North Gyeongsang Province, have been selected as sites for the government's low birthrate response support program. The government will provide these areas with 5 billion won in special grant tax funds to expand facilities related to pregnancy, childbirth and childcare.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety said on the 12th that it had reviewed 28 projects submitted for the 2026 Locally Tailored Low Birthrate Response Project and selected 10. This year, it expanded eligibility for the call for proposals to all cities, counties and districts nationwide. Another change is that, instead of installing facilities from categories designated by the government, local governments can directly propose facilities needed in their areas.
The selected areas are Dong-gu and Damyang County in Jeonnam-Gwangju; Nam-gu in Daegu; Dong-gu in Daejeon; Sejong City; Danyang and Yeongdong counties in North Chungcheong Province; Gochang County in North Jeolla Province; Gyeongju City in North Gyeongsang Province; and Miryang City in South Gyeongsang Province. They comprise six population-decline areas, three areas of concern and one general area.
Each area will receive up to 500 million won, with additional funding to be allocated to Danyang County, which received the highest evaluation score.
Danyang County will renovate the Maepo Women's Development Center and bring together a Comprehensive Childcare Support Center, a local children's center, a public indoor playground and other facilities in one place. Yeongdong County will use vacant space at its Public Health Center to integrate and provide services currently spread across different locations, including education for prospective parents, health care for pregnant women, and support for the growth and development of infants and young children.
Sejong City will create indoor play facilities, a toy-lending space and a community childcare-sharing center where parents and children can cook together at a complex community center. Children aged 0 to 5 account for 4.9% of Sejong's population, the highest proportion among the country's cities and provinces. This means support will go not only to population-decline areas but also to places with high demand for care for infants and young children.
Gyeongju City will build an above-ground, three-story integrated center in an area where the number of households with infants and young children is growing as residents move into large apartment complexes. The center will include an indoor playground, a children's library and a room for lending childcare supplies, among other facilities.
Miryang City will set up care facilities for infants, young children and elementary school students, as well as short-term care space, in unused areas of the former Miryang University campus.
The Ministry plans to oversee project progress from site selection through design, groundbreaking, completion and operation. Jin Myeong-gi, head of the Ministry's Local Autonomy and Innovation Office, said, "To address the low birthrate, it is important to fill gaps in pregnancy, childbirth and childcare services—which differ from one region to another—comprehensively within the areas where people live their daily lives."
[email protected] Lee Bo-mi Reporter