Bupyeong District Council Member Yoo Jeong-ok: “Welfare projects that consider social minorities must be sustained even if it requires local funding”

Yoo Jeong-ok, a member of the Bupyeong District Council's Administrative Welfare Committee (People Power Party, Bupyeong 3, Sangok 3·4, Sijung 1·2), strongly urged the solidification of welfare projects for social minorities such as children and the disabled, as well as uninterrupted support during the first extraordinary session of 2026.

During the 5th Administrative Welfare Committee meeting of the 274th Bupyeong District Council extraordinary session held on the 3rd, Member Yoo called for field-oriented welfare administration targeting the Child Welfare Department, Infant Care Department, and Elderly and Disabled Department.

Firstly, in the inquiry regarding the Infant Care Department, Member Yoo addressed the operational status of ‘Dodam Dodam Toy World’, a representative childcare support facility in Bupyeong District. Reminding that she had requested an increase in the budget for toy expansion during the previous budget review, she emphasized, “If matching funds from the city are not feasible, we must secure local funds to provide various educational tools and facilities that genuinely help children.”

In response, the head of the Infant Care Department stated, “We will first assess the city’s supplementary budget and, if not allocated, we will do our utmost to secure local funds.”

Next, Member Yoo discussed the selection criteria for ‘Open Childcare Centres’, stating, “It is important that parents can check their children's activities at any time, so transparency and participation are crucial.” She also requested meticulous administration to ensure that discrimination due to facility deterioration does not occur in private and home childcare centres, which have limited national funding, by providing local support for the childcare facility reinforcement support project.

In the inquiry regarding the Elderly and Disabled Department, she expressed concern over the suspended ‘Developmentally Disabled Location Marker (Guidance) Support Project’. Member Yoo pointed out, “There are about 2,600 developmentally disabled individuals in Bupyeong District, yet only 51 were supported last year,” and added, “It is unfortunate that the project is suspended for not being a matching project, despite the budget not being large.” She then ordered an active review of the project's continuity through a survey scheduled for the second half of the year.

In her concluding remarks, Member Yoo stated, “Projects that protect social minorities can change the lives of the beneficiaries depending on the district's active will,” and urged, “Please create a true child-friendly city and welfare city of Bupyeong that supports growth from the perspective of residents, rather than simple number-focused administration.”