Taean County in South Chungcheong Province, where four in 10 residents are aged 65 and over, will raise its childbirth grants by as much as sixfold. The county plans to expand jobs and care services for older adults at the same time, part of an effort to address falling births and population aging.
Starting next year, the grant for a first child will rise to 3 million won ($2,100) from 500,000 won, a sixfold increase, the county said on the 21st. The grant for a second child will climb to 5 million won from 1 million won, and for a third or later child to 10 million won from 2 million won, each a fivefold increase.
The grants will be paid in installments rather than in a lump sum, with half of the total amount provided in mobile Taean Love gift certificates. The county will also pay a family care allowance of 300,000 won per child each month to households earning up to 150% of median income, when a relative within the fourth degree of kinship cares for a child aged 2 or 3 for at least 40 hours a month.
Behind the increase is a sharp drop in births. Annual births in Taean fell about 64% to 128 last year from 355 in 2016. Residents aged 65 and over, by contrast, numbered 24,165 as of September, or 41% of the county's total population.
Support for older residents will also widen. Lunch service five days a week at senior centers will expand to 50 locations next year from 38 currently. The county will spend 27.145 billion won on job programs for older adults, creating 6,075 positions, and plans to broaden their participation in social activities in health care, caregiving and safety. It will add 48 artificial intelligence care robots for residents living alone and others, extending coverage to 100 households.
The county is also preparing AI programs aimed at younger generations. Its family center will launch AI ethics and robotics events for children, while the youth center plans to run AI-based creative workshops and programs linked to the local community.