Dong District in Gwangju will get a 24-hour emergency care center for sudden gaps in childcare coverage, while Yeongdong County in North Chungcheong Province will open an integrated facility offering prenatal health management and early childhood development support in one place. Ten regions across the country will build pregnancy, childbirth and childcare facilities designed around local population structures and parenting needs. The government will provide a combined 5 billion won ($3.5 million) to expand childcare services that each region lacks and ease the burden on parents.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety said on the 12th that it reviewed 28 applications for the 2026 Locally Tailored Low Birth Rate Response Program and selected 10 local governments. The chosen regions are Dong District and Damyang County in Gwangju, Nam District in Daegu, Dong District in Daejeon, Sejong, Danyang County and Yeongdong County in North Chungcheong Province, Gochang County in Jeonbuk State, Gyeongju in North Gyeongsang Province and Miryang in South Gyeongsang Province. A total of 5 billion won in special grant funds will be distributed with up to 500 million won per region, based on factors including the amount each local government requested. Danyang County, which scored highest in the evaluation, will receive an additional allocation.
Under the program, local governments identify the childcare projects their areas need and the central government funds them. Support varies by local conditions: areas facing population decline receive essential childcare facilities they lack, while regions with many households raising young children get help meeting rising demand for care.
This round included six areas designated as facing population decline and three flagged as at risk, along with Sejong, which falls into neither category. Children aged 5 and under account for 4.9% of Sejong's population, the highest share among the country's metropolitan cities and provinces. The selection shows that the policy targets actual childcare demand rather than population decline alone.
In areas facing population decline, existing public buildings and unused space will be converted into childcare facilities. Danyang County in North Chungcheong Province will remodel the Maepo Women's Development Center to house a comprehensive childcare support center, a community child center and a public indoor playground under one roof. Miryang in South Gyeongsang Province will use unused space at the former Miryang University Haetsal Campus for care space for preschoolers and elementary students, an indoor playground and short-term care facilities, linked with parent education and employment support services.
Play and hands-on facilities reflecting local characteristics will also open. Damyang County in Gwangju will build an indoor children's play facility, an artificial intelligence and video experience center and family lounge space at the Pyeonghwa Onnuri Center. Dong District in Daejeon will create play space for young children at its intergenerational community center and run programs for parents and children together. Nam District in Daegu will convert existing facilities into a family childcare support space offering digital and creative play along with care, education and counseling services.
Regions with a growing number of households raising young children will see facilities expanded to match rising demand. Gyeongju in North Gyeongsang Province will build a three-story integrated center in an area where large apartment complexes are drawing in families with young children. It will house an indoor playground, a toy and baby goods rental room, a children's library and parent education rooms. Sejong will add indoor play space and a toy rental facility at a multipurpose community center, along with a shared childcare space where parents and children can cook together.
The ministry said it will track each project through site selection, design, groundbreaking, completion and operation, and will spread successful models to other regions. "To address the low birth rate, it is important to carefully fill the gaps in pregnancy, childbirth and childcare services within residents' daily living areas, since those gaps differ from region to region," said Jin Myung-ki, head of the ministry's Local Autonomy and Innovation Office. "We will continue to support and manage these projects so they take root as locally tailored support that residents can actually feel."