Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon visited Aeranwon, a single-parent family welfare facility in Seodaemun-gu, on Thursday — the first day of the chuseok holiday — to offer seasonal greetings to residents and hear about the challenges they face raising children and the support they need.
Aeranwon is a childbirth support facility where single parents with household incomes at or below the median can live with children under 3 for up to two years. The facility also serves pregnant teenagers, several of whom attended Thursday's meeting while balancing schoolwork and childcare.
Oh toured the residential rooms and postpartum care area before sitting down with residents to share traditional holiday foods, including songpyeon rice cakes and jeon savory pancakes.
"I fully understand how difficult it is to raise a child alone, study and prepare for the future all at the same time, even with the help of a facility like this," Oh said. "I hope the various support programs Seoul offers — including Seoul Learn — give you strength as you work toward your studies and independence."
Oh also urged facility staff to actively promote available city services so that residents in need — including pregnant teenagers — do not miss out on support, and to ensure that people receive timely help at every stage of pregnancy, childbirth and child-rearing.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government runs a range of programs to help single parents raise their children and build toward self-sufficiency: a household services support program for those with incomes at or below 180 percent of the median; welfare facility operations for those without housing at or below 100 percent of the median, including mothers in crisis pregnancies; transportation subsidies for children aged 13 to 18 in single-parent households with incomes at or below 65 percent of the median; education cost support for high school students in the same income bracket; and a youth single-parent support program for those at or below 90 percent of the median, covering child-rearing allowances, GED study costs and self-sufficiency incentives.
The city also operates an integrated support center for mothers in crisis pregnancies — those facing unplanned pregnancies or struggling with financial, psychological or physical difficulties as they consider whether to give birth and raise a child.
The center provides confidential, one-on-one support throughout the pregnancy and child-rearing process. Mothers in crisis pregnancies can reach a counselor 24 hours a day by phone or through the KakaoTalk channel "Crisis Pregnancy Counseling Support."
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