NEWS

On the 22nd, the Yangju City Infinite Care Hope Team held the “2026 First Start Childcare Support Project” donation ceremony with support from SEALON as part of the 2026 Life Respect Campaign. The program is aimed at vulnerable households in Yangju City that are expecting childbirth or raising infants and young children.

The donated items consisted of 11 types of childbirth and childcare products worth approximately KRW 150,000 per household, totaling around KRW 4.5 million. The support packages will be distributed to case management recipients of the Yangju City Infinite Care Hope Team, as well as eligible households identified through local administrative welfare centers and related organizations, including families within three months of childbirth and households raising children under 36 months old.

SEALON, which sponsored the “2026 First Start Childcare Support Project,” has continuously supported emergency home repair projects and holiday support programs of the Yangju City Infinite Care Hope Team since 2023. In 2026, the company significantly increased its donation amount to KRW 72.5 million and has continued various ESG-driven social contribution activities, including eco-friendly home repair support such as solar panel installation and self-reliance support programs for single-person households. 

Meanwhile, the “2026 First Start Childcare Support Project” was launched to support childbirth and child-rearing during an era of low birth rates. According to population trend data from KOSIS, South Korea’s total fertility rate reached a record low of 0.72 births per woman in 2023, before slightly rebounding to 0.75 in 2024. However, the figure remains lower than the OECD average of 1.4 in the same year. Through public-private cooperation, the project is expected to help reduce the financial burden of childbirth and parenting while supporting the healthy growth of children.

Na Gyupil, Team Leader of the Yangju City Infinite Care Hope Team, stated, “Amid the nationwide issue of low birth rates, Yangju City recorded the highest population growth rate in northern Gyeonggi Province, approaching a population of 300,000 with 296,910 residents as of April this year, centered around the Okjeong and Hoecheon districts. We prepared this project to support families expecting childbirth and raising infants and young children. Moving forward, we will continue promoting various public-private cooperation support projects for vulnerable and at-risk households to help make Yangju a better place to live.”

▶ Gyeonggi Internet Newspaper: “Yangju City Infinite Care Hope Team Holds Donation Ceremony for ‘2026 First Start Childcare Support Project’ Sponsored by SEALON”