Gyeonggi Province Adds Emart24 to Retail Outlets for Women Adolescents' Basic Sanitary Products Support

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hun] As Gyeonggi Province provides universal support funds for basic sanitary products to young women, Emart24 will be added as a new retail outlet starting November 1st, following the existing three convenience store chains.

Gyeonggi Province's "Universal Support for Basic Sanitary Products for Young Women" is a program that provides 11.5 million won per month for a total of 69,000 won over six months to female adolescents aged 11-18 in 14 cities and counties within the province for purchasing basic sanitary products.

The province has been receiving applications since July and sequentially distributing support funds to applicants.

The 14 cities and counties participating in the "Universal Support for Basic Sanitary Products for Young Women" program are Ansan, Gunpo, Gwangju, Gimpo, Icheon, Anseong, Hanam, Yeoju, Yangpyeong, Guri, Pocheon, Dongducheon, Gapyeong, and Yeoncheon.

Currently, support funds are provided in the form of local currency cards or mobile accounts and can be used at three convenience stores (CU, GS25, Seven-Eleven). From November 1st, they can be used at a total of four convenience stores including Emart24.

However, the funds can only be used at convenience stores that participate in the local currency alliance merchant program.

The province plans to sequentially distribute support funds from November 26th to third-round online applicants who submitted applications from October 1st to 31st.
Those who missed the online application period can apply at the administrative welfare center in their residential district by December 10th, and the support funds received can be used until the end of this year.

Park Seung-sam, Director of the Lifelong Education Bureau of Gyeonggi Province, said, "Going forward, we will continue to expand the purchase locations and do our best to ensure that young women have no inconvenience in purchasing sanitary products."

Meanwhile, this support project is the first of its kind among all provinces and cities across the nation to provide universal sanitary products to young women.

The province initiated discussions after encountering cases of the so-called "insole sanitary pads," where low-income families use shoe insoles or tissue paper instead of purchasing sanitary pads.

In particular, selective support only for vulnerable adolescents could result in a "stigma effect," so the province pursued universal provision as a core policy direction.