Busan is good

Busan Mayor Park Serves as “One-Day Santa,” Sharing the Warmth of Community in a Child-Happiness City

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Busan Metropolitan City Mayor Park Heong-joon will become a “one-day Santa” at 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 24, the day before Christmas, and visit Dongsanwon (located in Suyeong-gu), a child-care facility, to deliver Christmas gifts to children and share with them the value of a warm community.

In addition, Mayor Park will tour the facility’s living environment and express gratitude for the devotion of its staff members. He will also listen to on-site voices regarding child care and policies to support children under protection, and is expected to emphasize the importance of a tightly woven care system and support for independence so that children can grow up healthy.

Dongsanwon was established in 1957 to care for war orphans and, to this day, has continued to support children in need of protection so that they can grow and become confidently self-reliant.

This year, Busan Metropolitan City invested approximately KRW 30.7 billion in operating expenses and other support for 20 child-care facilities in the city, helping children grow up in a stable environment.

The city raised the allowance for elementary, middle, and high school students living in facilities by KRW 2,000 this year. It also newly provides KRW 50,000 per month to children whose protection has been extended, working to improve life satisfaction for children living in facilities.

Meanwhile, Busan Metropolitan City was selected as the top-performing local government for four consecutive years in the “Evaluation of Performance in Implementing the Child Policy Implementation Plan” hosted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and received awards for two consecutive years in the “Child Policy Impact Assessment.”

Building on these achievements, the city plans to further strengthen its child welfare system—where childcare, education, care, and housing are organically connected—and will continue advancing Busan as a child-friendly city where all children are respected and can grow.

Mayor Park Heong-joon said, “Child welfare is a core policy that safeguards a child’s life as a whole,” adding, “We will strengthen a closely knit care system so that children can grow up healthy and happy with warm encouragement, and we will build a community in which the entire local society participates together.”