Gov't to offer 'fast track' airport departures to families with 3 or more kids

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Gov't to offer 'fast track' airport departures to families with 3 or more kids

Published: 12 Mar. 2025, 15:37

LIM JEONG-WON
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Travelers line up in front of check-in desks at Incheon International Airport on Feb. 28. [NEWS1]

Families with three or more children can now receive “fast track” benefits at airports and hotels in Korea, a presidential committee announced on Tuesday, as a part of efforts to address the country's low birthrate.

Families with working parents or expecting children will also receive more advantages in providing public rental housing, the Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy also revealed in a meeting on Tuesday.

The committee announced the measures at Tuesday's 10th emergency population response meeting, chaired by acting President Choi Sang-mok.

By June of this year at the latest, a priority departure service — the “fast track” benefit — for families with three or more children will be introduced at Incheon, Gimpo, Gimhae and Jeju international airports. If all the family's children are minors and at least one parent and one child are leaving the country together, they can use the priority departure service.

For example, if a father and one child from a family with three or more children leave the country, they can save time using the priority departure service.

“We expect this to not only make using the airport more convenient but also greatly contribute to creating an atmosphere that favors families with multiple children,” the committee said.

Accommodation regulations limiting guests to four per room will be relaxed for families with multiple children.

Through discussions with the hotel industry, the government will push for expanding rooms where families with numerous children can stay together, excluding infants and toddlers when calculating the maximum number of guests, operating a fast-track check-in service and offering discounts for higher-grade rooms.

The government will also disclose the prices of wedding services beginning in April.

The government will collect information on rental fees for wedding halls and essential wedding preparation services, including wedding studio photos, dresses and makeup, and provide regional price updates and price trend analysis through the Korea Consumer Agency Price Information site starting this May.

The government will also strengthen policies to support work-family balance. The maximum exemption from earned income tax for corporate child care support, which is currently limited to 200,000 won ($137) regardless of the number of children, will be adjusted to 200,000 won per child.

Housing measures will also be revamped, with more preferential treatment for families with newborns when selecting tenants for jeonse programs.

Jeonse are lump-sum deposits paid to landlords in return for free or discounted rent over a fixed period.

Currently, points are given to households with newborns and households with multiple children. However, the points given to families with newborns will be increased from one point to two.

Preference will also be given to households with multiple children when providing public rental housing.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [[email protected]]