Article 1 (Purpose) The purpose of this Ordinance shall be to encourage social responsibility for childbirth and child care, to continue to develop the society, and improve the quality of citizens' lives by prescribing matters necessary to create an environment favorable for childbirth and child care and secure a future growth engine under the Framework Act on Low Birth Rate in an Aging Society.

Article 2 (Definitions) The terms used in this Ordinance are defined as follows: <Amended on May 3, 2018; Jan. 9, 2020>
1. The term "support for childbirth and child care" refers to policy that is formulated and enforced to recognize the social significance of childbirth and child care and support the same;
2. The term "multi-child families" refers to families that give birth or adopt two (2) or more children and raise them;
3. The term "policies that improve awareness of low birth rates" refers to projects, events, public relations, etc. that are promoted to create a social environment favorable for childbirth and child care jointly and severally by the private sector, government and universities;
4. The term "multi-child happiness cards" refers to preferential cards for multi-child families (with the youngest child under 13 years of age) having their resident registration in the city;
5. The term "birth celebration goods" refers to articles provided to celebrate the birth of children;
6. The term "recipient children" refers to children who are newly registered in their resident registration cards for "birth" by the chief of a competent dong office in the Seoul Metropolitan City or children of fathers or mothers who have their resident registration in an autonomous Gu within the Seoul Metropolitan City and file an application for birth celebration goods with the expected date of birth;
7. The term "protectors" refers to a person with parental authority, a guardian, or a person who actually protects, rears or gives birth to recipient children;
8. The term "support recipients" refers to a person who is one of the protectors of recipient children and completes his/her resident registration within an autonomous gu of the Seoul Metropolitan City.

Article 3 (Duties of the Mayor) The Mayor of Seoul Metropolitan City (hereinafter referred to as the "Mayor") shall endeavor to formulate and enforce a policy to support childbirth and child care and promote the welfare of citizens.

Article 4 (Support for Marriage, Pregnancy, and Childbirth) The Mayor shall promote the following so that there would be no inconvenience in marriage, pregnancy, and childbirth:
1. Support to reduce the burden of marriage;
2. Support to reduce the burden of pregnancy and childbirth; and
3. Support to manage the health of pregnant women, infants and children.

Article 4-2 (Support for Birth Celebration Articles) (1) The Mayor may provide birth celebration articles within a budgetary limit for protectors of infants in order to celebrate the birth of infants. <Amended on May 3, 2018; Jan. 9, 2020>
(2) The amount of support for birth celebration articles shall not exceed 150 thousand won per recipient child. <Newly Inserted on May 3, 2018; Jan. 9, 2020>
(3) A recipient of support for birth celebration articles shall have his/her resident registration and reside in an autonomous Gu of the Seoul Metropolitan City as of the date of application and shall be a member of the same family under the resident registration as the recipient child. <Newly Inserted on May 3, 2018; Jan. 9, 2020>
(4) A recipient of support for birth celebration articles may apply for the support for birth celebration articles by filing the following documents with the chief of a competent dong office under his/her resident registration within a period from 50 days prior to the expected date of birth of the recipient child but no later than three (3) months from the date of birth thereof; Provided, That there are reasonable grounds, the Mayor may provide birth celebration articles, even where the application is filed after the period of application. <Newly Inserted on May 3, 2018; Jan. 9, 2020>
1. An application for support of birth celebration articles (Attached Form No. 1) or an application for integrated processing of childbirth service;
2. A family relation certificate of parents of recipient child (limited to where it is not agreed on the verification of competent public officials through the sharing of administrative information under Article 38(1) of the Electronic Government Act or where it is impossible to share administrative information); and
3. A basic certificate of the recipient child, where a protector of the recipient child is a person with parental authority and a guardian designated by a court or a certificate of welfare facility recipient, where the child welfare facility under the Child Welfare Act protects the recipient child.
(5) The Mayor shall verify the following before providing birth celebration articles and details of such provision shall be recorded in a register of recipients of birth celebration articles under Attached Form No. 2, a ledger of support of birth celebration articles under Attached Form No. 3, and a ledger of birth celebration articles under Attached Form No. 4. <Newly Inserted on May 3, 2018; Jan. 9, 2020>
1. Matters concerning the registration of birth of the recipient child (however, the verification of matters concerning the registration of birth shall be substituted with a pregnancy certificate (issued by a medical institution) or a standard mother and child health handbook (issued by a medical institution or a health institution) with an expected date of birth only for an application prior to the birth);
2. Matters entered in the resident registrations of recipient children and support recipients; and
3. Whether the support recipient under paragraph (3) above is eligible and whether an application for support is filed redundantly.
(6) The Mayor shall provide support recipients with birth celebration articles, where there is nothing wrong with the verification under paragraph (5) above. The method of provision of the articles shall be governed by the manner to receive the articles stipulated by an application for support of birth celebration articles filed by a support recipient under paragraph (4) above. <Newly Inserted on May 3, 2018>
(7) When it is verified that a person who is not a support recipient is provided with birth celebration articles by fraud, the Mayor shall redeem the articles without delay under the following subparagraphs and record such facts in the ledger of support of birth celebration articles: <Newly Inserted on May 3, 2018; Jan. 9, 2020>
1. Redemption of birth celebration articles, where they are not used; or
2. Redemption of a purchase price of the birth celebration articles, where they are already used.
(8) The Mayor shall check every quarter the results of the support of birth celebration articles. <Newly Inserted on May 3, 2018; Jan. 9, 2020>
[This Article Newly Inserted on Sep. 21, 2017]
[Title Amended on Jan. 9, 2020]

Article 4-3 (Support for Screening for Prenatal or Postnatal Depression) Where the Mayor deems it necessary for pregnant or nursing women, he/she may provide support related to screening for prenatal or postnatal depression.
[This Article Newly Inserted on Mar. 10, 2022]

Article 4-4 (Support for Transportation Expenses of Pregnant Women) (1) The Mayor may provide, within a budgetary limit, transportation expenses not exceeding 700 won per pregnant woman who meets all of the following:
1. A pregnant woman who has continued to have her resident registration within a jurisdiction of the Seoul Metropolitan City for 6 months or more as of the date of application; and
2. As of the date of application, a pregnant woman is during pregnancy or 3 months have not passed since her childbirth.
(2) The Mayor may provide the transportation expenses for pregnant women under paragraph (1) above in cash, transportation card, voucher, etc.
(3) Pregnant women or their spouses may apply for transportation expenses of pregnant women by filing an application for transportation expenses of pregnant women or an application for integrated processing of childbirth service.
(4) The Mayor shall determine whether to provide transportation expenses of pregnant women and provide the transportation expenses no later than 30 days from the receipt of application under paragraph (3) above.
(5) When it is verified that a person who is not a support recipient is provided with transportation expenses of pregnant women by fraud, the Mayor shall redeem the expenses without delay.
(6) The Mayor may consign the head of Gu with the provision of transportation expenses of pregnant women.
(7) The Mayor shall determine separately matters necessary for the provision of transportation expenses of pregnant women.
[This Article Newly Inserted on Apr. 28, 2022]

Article 5 (Alleviation of Child Care Burden) (1) The Mayor shall promote the following to alleviate child care burden: <Amended on Dec. 31, 2019>
1. Economic support to alleviate child care burden;
2. Child care support service to alleviate child care burden;
3. Installation of amenities and development of infrastructure to create an environment favorable for child care;
4. Issuance of multi-child happiness cards to treat multi-child families favorably; and
5. Other support to alleviate child care burden on multi-child families.

 Article 6 (Work-Family Balance Assistance)
The Mayor shall promote the following so that citizens who intend to get pregnant, give birth, raise, and educate children could balance their work and family: <Amended on May 14, 2015>
1. Support to create a family-friendly working environment;
2. Support to create and diffuse a family-friendly corporate environment; and
3. Support to prevent women's career from being interrupted.
 

Article 7 (Creation of Social Atmosphere Friendly to Childbirth) The Mayor shall promote the followings to establish a social atmosphere friendly to childbirth:
1. Project to educate parents for the encouragement of childbirth; and
2. Support for non-government organizations that encourage childbirth and child care.

 Article 8 (Medium and Long-Term Basic Plan)
(1) The Mayor shall formulate a medium and long term plan for low birth rate (hereinafter referred to as the "Medium and Long Term Plan") in light of the basic plans on low birth rates in an aging society under Article 20 of the Framework Act on Low Birth Rate in an Aging Society (hereinafter referred to as the "Act").
(2) The Medium and Long Term Plan under paragraph (1) above shall include the following:
1. Vision and direction of policy for low birth rate;
2. Tasks to be implemented and method;
3. Scale of necessary financial resources and methods of procuring such resources; and
4. Other matters deemed necessary as a policy to respond to low birth rate and encourage child birth.
(3) The Mayor may cooperate and request heads of Gu, public institutions, other corporations and organizations to submit plans, policies, materials, etc. in order to formulate implementation plans.

Article 9 (Annual Implementation Plans) (1) The Mayor shall formulate and execute annual implementation plans (hereinafter referred to as the "Implementation Plans") under Article 21 of the Act.
(2) The Mayor shall consider the Medium and Long Term Plan under Article 8 when formulating and executing the Implementation Plans.
(3) The Mayor shall evaluate the results of the execution of the Implementation Plans each year, and reflect the results in policies on low birth rates.

Article 10 (Operation of Advisory Group on Childbirth and Child Care Policy) The Mayor may establish the advisory group on childbirth and child care policy composed of people with knowledge, expertise, and experience in childbirth to consult about important matters concerning the childbirth and child care policy.

Article 11 (Support for Enterprises, Non-Government Organizations, etc.) (1) The Mayor shall endeavor to provide administrative assistance and various incentives under the related laws and regulation to promote countermeasures against low birth rate by citizens, enterprises, public institutions, other related corporations, organizations, etc. <Amended on May 14, 2015>
(2) The Mayor may support, within a budgetary limit, all or part of the expenses necessary under paragraph (1) above. <Amended on May 14, 2015>

Article 12 (Education, Promotion, etc.) (1) The Mayor shall continue to provide information to improve citizens' awareness of status and countermeasures against low birth rate and shall perform promotions with various media.
(2) The Mayor may consign related organizations with tasks to implement paragraph (1) above.

 Article 13 (Citation)
The Mayor may award prizes to the following to support childbirth and child care: <Amended on May 14, 2015>
1. Model family among multi-child families;
2. Model business among business partners of multi-child happiness card project;
3. Good family-friendly business; and
4. Other individuals, organizations, etc. that contribute to countermeasures against the low birth rate.

Article 14 (Enforcement Rules) Matters necessary for this Ordinance shall be prescribed as rules. <Amended on Jan. 5, 2017>