Cheonan City announced on the 11th that it plans to increase the transportation subsidy for pregnant women from the current ₩300,000 to ₩500,000.

The city is pushing for the increase in support to enhance medical accessibility for pregnant women and alleviate their economic burden related to childbirth, in response to continuous price increases and rising childbirth-related costs.

The city has prepared a partial amendment to the 'Cheonan City Ordinance on Childbirth Promotion and Adoption Family Support,' recently completing its legislative予告. It has submitted the amendment to the city council for deliberation at the extraordinary session scheduled for the 16th.

The transportation subsidy project for pregnant women, considering the frequent medical visits for prenatal and postnatal care, health check-ups, and vaccinations, was first introduced by Cheonan City in Chungnam Province in July 2023.

Eligible recipients are pregnant women who have been registered as residents in Cheonan City for at least six months as of the application date. Applications can be submitted from 12 weeks of pregnancy up to three months after childbirth.

The subsidy is provided as transportation points on a dedicated voucher card for pregnant women (local currency), which can be used for taxi services within Cheonan City or for personal vehicle fuel costs. The validity period for the voucher is 12 months from the date of issuance.

Both online and in-person applications are possible. Online applications can be easily submitted without separate documents through the Bojoogeum24 website (https://www.gov.kr/portal/rcvfvrSvc/main). For in-person applications, visits can be made to the administrative welfare centers in the applicant's residential eup, myeon, or dong. However, pregnant women from multicultural families can only apply in person.

If the amended ordinance passes the city council and is promulgated this month, the increased amount will apply to pregnant women who apply after the promulgation date.

Park Kyung-mi, head of the Women and Family Division, stated, "We plan to expand practical support so that women expecting childbirth can receive safe medical care without economic burden." She added, "We will continue to devise various policies that provide tangible benefits for childbirth and parenting."

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