Gyeongju City announces 2025 citizen welfare achievements and next year’s promotion strategy
[신경북뉴스] On the 17th, Gyeongju City announced the ‘2025 Core Implementation Strategy for the Citizen Welfare Bureau’ in the city hall conference room, and presented the major achievements promoted by the Citizen Welfare Bureau this year as well as the welfare policy direction for next year. Since its establishment through reorganization on July 1 of last year, the Citizens’ Welfare Bureau has played a central role in urban welfare administration by overseeing welfare areas directly related to citizens’ lives, such as welfare policy, low birth rate measures, welfare for the elderly, welfare for the disabled and women, and children and youth. The city has promoted smart welfare safety services based on artificial intelligence (AI) to prevent lonely deaths and social isolation in 2025. The local welfare safety net was further strengthened by continuously monitoring 320 people at risk of lonely death using Naver Clover-based ‘AI Care Call’ and establishing a system to respond immediately in the event of a crisis. In addition, customized projects for households in crisis and low-income groups were continuously promoted, such as expansion of emergency welfare support for livelihood, medical care, and housing for up to three months, discovery of new products by easing living benefit standards, and support for self-reliance through the operation of self-reliance business groups. In the field of responding to low birth rates, policies for each phase of marriage, childbirth, and childcare were promoted with the goal of becoming a ‘good city for marriage and raising children.’ We worked hard to create a family-friendly atmosphere through various programs such as operating a youth club, supporting small weddings, supporting wedding expenses for those in their 20s, supporting agricultural and marine products and moving expenses for multiple children, and a radio campaign for citizens to empathize with low birth rates. In addition, we strengthened the housing stability of the youth and the basis for employment and entrepreneurship by operating 29 youth rental housing and shared housing, supporting monthly rent, interview preparation costs, and moving expenses, promoting the ‘Youth New Golden Startup Special Zone’, and operating the youth center ‘Youth Godo’. In the field of senior welfare, we provided jobs for 4,420 seniors to expand social participation among the elderly, and established a stable foundation for activities through cooperation with local executing organizations. Living infrastructure improvement projects such as the construction of Oedong-eup Welfare Center, environmental improvement of the senior center, and reinforcement of safety facilities were also carried out to increase accessibility to welfare for the elderly. In the field of disabled people, we strengthened customized job support for registered disabled people, such as full-time, part-time, welfare jobs, and dispatching masseuses. Based on the women-friendly city creation project, we also worked to expand the basis for gender equality, such as providing jobs for women, safety monitoring, and improving the care environment. In the field of children and youth, blind spots in after-school care were resolved through the operation of 10 shared care centers, and a safe care environment was created within the living areas of elementary school students. In addition, through the ‘Gyeongju City College Entrance Fair’ held for the first time this year, we provided entrance and career counseling to approximately 3,500 people, and also expanded practical career support programs such as entrance, employment, and interviews centered on the Career Education Experience Center. Hwarang Village and Donghak Education Training Center expanded their role as a central education and tourism facility by strengthening education, experience, and lodging functions for youth, families, and groups, and Haneulmaru Management Office established a quick response system by urgently establishing its own reservation site and stably processing 339 reservations in a situation where the national cremation reservation system was paralyzed due to a national computer network fire. Meanwhile, based on this year’s achievements, Gyeongju City plans to further strengthen welfare policies tailored to each generation in 2026, such as upgrading the AI safety net, expanding integrated care projects, building and renovating senior centers, strengthening mobility and activity support for the disabled, expanding support for youth settlement, and support for purchasing a large house for multiple children. “Gyeongju City has been promoting various welfare policies with the goal of ‘warm welfare, happy Gyeongju,’” said Nam Mi-kyung, director of the Citizen Welfare Department. “Next year, we will do our best to create a safe and happy city for all citizens by strengthening highly felt welfare, such as expanding AI safety nets and care.”
