Gyeonggi Province Provides Universal Support for Menstrual Products for Female Adolescents...Applications Open From July 1st

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hoon] Gyeonggi Province will begin accepting support applications from July 1st to provide female adolescents aged 11-18 with 11,500 won per month in menstrual product purchase expenses starting in July.

Gyeonggi Province's "Universal Menstrual Product Support for Female Adolescents" program is available to any female adolescents (approximately 109,000 people) born between January 1, 2003, and December 31, 2010, who reside in 14 cities and counties—Ansan, Gunpo, Gwangju, Gimpo, Icheon, Anseong, Hanam, Yeoju, Yangpyeong, Guri, Pocheon, Dongducheon, Gapyeong, and Yeoncheon—that have applied to participate in the project.

However, due to restrictions under the Social Security Basic Act preventing duplicate support, female adolescents receiving support from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family are excluded from this program.

Currently, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family provides selective support in the form of menstrual product vouchers (11,500 won per month via National Happy Card) to female adolescents aged 11-18 from households receiving basic livelihood assistance, legal middle-class families, and single-parent families.

If Gyeonggi Province female adolescents are concerned about the stigmatization effect of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family support, those who have not applied for the ministry's support can apply for Gyeonggi Province's support (universal support).

Applications can be made from July 1st to July 14th by accessing the application website (https://voucher.konacard.co.kr/41/3) online or via mobile and completing mobile phone authentication. Applications are simple and straightforward.

Those who miss the application period or have difficulty with phone number authentication can also apply at their local administrative welfare center from July 1st to December 10th.

Among the 14 cities and counties, Gimpo City, which operates regional currency differently, will use a separate homepage, and Yeoju City, which has been implementing menstrual product support since last year, will accept applications only at local administrative welfare centers using the existing method.

The province plans to distribute support funds within 11 days of application submission (from July 27th for online and mobile applications).

Female adolescents will receive a total of 69,000 won in basic menstrual product purchase expenses over six months—11,500 won per month—in the form of regional currency via card or mobile, which can only be used at three convenience store chains (CU, GS25, and GS25 Seven-Eleven).

Park Seung-sam, Director of Lifelong Education at Gyeonggi Province, stated, "We are very pleased to provide universal support for basic menstrual products to female adolescents in Gyeonggi Province for the first time among regional governments nationwide," and added, "We will do our best to ensure that all cities and counties participate in the project sequentially so that all female adolescents in the province can benefit from this support."

Meanwhile, this support project marks the first nationwide universal provision of menstrual products for female adolescents by a regional government.

The province initiated discussions after encountering cases of adolescents in low-income households using insoles or tissue paper as alternatives to sanitary pads due to inability to purchase menstrual products—a phenomenon known as "insole sanitary pads."

In particular, to avoid the "stigmatization effect" that could result from providing selective support only to vulnerable adolescents, universal distribution was promoted as the core policy direction.