Suwon Special City Pilot Runs 'Period Pads for All' Free Service

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Jung Jun-sung] Suwon Special City is piloting 'Period Pads for All,' a public menstrual product service that can be used by anyone without separate income or age requirements, to improve access to menstrual products and guarantee citizens' health rights.

'Period Pads for All' is a pilot project for public menstrual product support overseen by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, with 12 local governments nationwide, including Suwon City, participating. Anyone needing menstrual products can freely use vending machines installed at nearby public facilities.

Vending machines have been prioritized for installation and operation at Suwon City Hall, four district offices, health centers, the Family and Women's Hall, Women's Cultural Space-Hyu, and the Disabled Welfare Complex. The machines dispense individually packaged products containing two medium-sized sanitary pads approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

The product packaging is marked with the 'Period Pads for All' logo and 'Public Menstrual Pads' text so users can easily identify it. There are no separate eligibility verification procedures based on income, age, or place of residence.

Suwon Special City plans to install 40 additional vending machines in August and 10 more in September, expanding to a total of 60 machines by early September. For the '2026~2027 Year of Visiting Suwon,' machines will also be installed at cultural and tourism facilities such as botanical gardens, art museums, and museums that are frequently visited by citizens and tourists.

The automatic vending machines can store 170 packs of sanitary pads and automatically tally stock levels and usage for each device. Dedicated personnel will regularly inspect the operating status and inventory of the machines and promptly replenish insufficient supplies.

A Suwon City official said, "Menstrual products are essential daily necessities for healthy and safe everyday life and must be conveniently accessible at nearby public facilities when needed," adding, "We will reflect citizens' voices and promote women's health policies that improve access to menstrual products and carefully address daily inconveniences."