The President also sent a gift to the new parents!
Kim Joon Young and Sagong Hye Ran, a couple from Gyeonggi Province, will receive at least ₩170 million KRW (about 128,000 USD) in grants from the Korean government after giving birth to quintuplets.
Korea’s declining birth rate has made childbirth a national issue, with the government issuing policies to encourage young couples to have children. So when Kim and Sagong welcomed two girls and three boys on Friday, September 20, it made headlines. This is the first natural birth of quintuplets in South Korea.
However, attention soon turned to the total amount of subsidies the couple would receive from various governments for childcare. First, the city of Dongducheon, where the couple is from, will provide them with ₩15.0 million KRW (about $11,300 USD) in cash vouchers. These vouchers can be used at any store within the city with annual sales of less than ₩1.00 billion KRW (about $756,000 USD).
In addition, the city will also provide ₩3.50 million KRW (approximately $2,640 USD) in cash vouchers for postnatal care support. Dongducheon’s childbirth promotion package also offers a sum of ₩1.00 million KRW (approximately $756 USD) for the first child, ₩1.50 million KRW (approximately $1,130 USD) for the second, ₩2.50 million KRW (approximately $1,890 USD) for the third, and ₩5.00 million KRW (approximately $3,780 USD) for the fourth and beyond. If the sequential amount is applied in this case, the couple could receive ₩15.0 million KRW (approximately $11,300 USD) from this package.
The couple is also entitled to the Ministry of Welfare’s First Meeting Voucher worth ₩14.0 million KRW (about $10,600 USD) and two monthly benefits that include a parental allowance and a child allowance. These two benefits amount to ₩85.0 million KRW (about $64,200 USD) and ₩47.5 million KRW (about $35,900 USD), respectively. But these two benefits will be paid for the duration of the program, with ₩1.00 million KRW (about $756 USD) per month for each child for the first 11 months after birth. After that, it drops to ₩500,000 KRW (about $378 USD) per month for the next 11 months.
The couple will also receive an allowance of 100,000 KRW (approximately 75.60 USD) per month for each child, from birth until they reach 95 months of age.
Although the news of the quintuplets brought joy to the country, many netizens wondered whether the total amount of subsidies would be enough to raise five children in the current economic situation.
In the meantime, South Korean President My Yoon Suk Yeol sent a congratulatory letter and a gift to the couple on September 22. Later, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education also sent them a fruit basket and a congratulatory message. They also made public posts, vowing to work hard to create a better future for the five children.
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