Osan City Installs Free Menstrual Pad Dispensers in 8 Public Restrooms

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Seo Dong-young] Osan City announced on the 7th that it has installed 13 free dispensers for hygiene products (emergency menstrual pads) in 8 public restrooms, including the Pilbong Mountain parking lot, to create a women-friendly city.

Last year, following an initiative by Kim Young-hee, vice chairperson of the Osan City Council, the city enacted the "Ordinance on Creating a Women-Friendly City in Osan" and established grounds to provide emergency menstrual pads for women in public facilities, schools, and public restrooms in case of urgent needs.

The public restrooms where free hygiene product dispensers have been installed are located at ▲Pilbong Mountain parking lot ▲Employment and Welfare Plus Center ▲Central Library ▲Vehicle Registration Office ▲public restrooms at Jungangdong, Daewondong, Namchondong, and Sinjangdong Administrative Welfare Centers.

Since October of last year, the city has been operating a pilot program with one free hygiene product (emergency menstrual pad) dispenser installed in the women's public restroom in front of Osan University, an area with high foot traffic from Osan University students and citizens visiting the Osan Stream.

The pilot operation results showed that daily usage of hygiene products ranged from a minimum of 4 pads to a maximum of 10 pads, indicating use only when necessary. The city noted that citizens' awareness of considering women's needs by making products accessible at any time was also confirmed to be high.

Vice Chairperson Kim Young-hee visited the public restroom at Pilbong Mountain parking lot on the 3rd to confirm the installation of free hygiene product dispensers and urged efforts to fully advance the creation of a women-friendly city.

The city plans to continue efforts to provide hygiene products in public facilities as part of universal women's welfare through monitoring of user satisfaction and daily consumption.

A city official stated, "We are making efforts to create safe restrooms not only through private inspection teams for illegal filming checks in public restrooms but also by hiring and operating dedicated personnel. Furthermore, we will make greater efforts to create a women-friendly city that considers women in daily life."