A shopper selects premium Korean beef at Hanaro Mart Yangjae branch in Seocho District, Seoul, Jan. 19. Yonhap

In response to the low birthrate crisis, the Suwon City government is introducing an incentive program to support small businesses that allow parents of first-grade elementary school students to start work at 10 a.m. Meanwhile, Gyeonggi Province is launching a project to provide premium "hanwoo" beef gift sets to new mothers.

According to the city government on Monday, starting in March, small and medium-sized businesses with fewer than 300 employees that implement a one-hour reduced work schedule for parents of first-grade students will be eligible for subsidies. The program provides up to 600,000 won ($450) per employee for two months, with a maximum of 10 employees per business benefiting from the initiative.

Applications can be submitted through the Suwon City Saebit Toktok app or the city's website under the “Application Submission” section. The program will accept the first 100 applications on a first-come, first-serve basis.

A city official said, "The beginning of elementary school is when child care challenges are at their peak. We aim to help working parents assist their children in adjusting to school without facing wage cuts."

Gyeonggi Province is also rolling out a project that was piloted last year and is now being fully implemented. The initiative supports postpartum recovery and boosts domestic meat consumption by delivering premium local meat packages to a preferred location for new mothers.

Taking inflation into account, the province has doubled last year's budget from 50,000 won to 100,000 won per package. The program is expected to benefit approximately 40,000 mothers who will register the birth of their child in Gyeonggi Province this year. Applications can be submitted through the Gyeonggi Civil Service 24 platform or at city and district administrative welfare centers. However, the program will not be available in Suwon, Seongnam, Uijeongbu, Goyang and Bucheon. Only 26 out of the 31 cities and counties in Gyeonggi Province are participating.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.