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A web poster providing information on public services available during the Chuseok holiday. / Courtesy of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family

Essential public livelihood support services—including child care, assistance for victims of violence, and aid for at-risk youth—will operate as normal throughout the Chuseok holiday.

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced on the 22nd that critical welfare services, such as emergency support for victims of violence and vulnerable youth as well as family counseling, will run without interruption during the holiday period from the 24th to the 27th.

During the Chuseok break, the child care service will apply standard weekday rates of 12,790 won per hour rather than holiday surcharges. Late-night surcharges, however, will remain in effect between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following day.

The child care program sends caregivers directly to homes facing care gaps with children aged between three months and 12 years. To ease care burdens for dual-income and single-parent households, the ministry will run the service continuously throughout the holiday without suspension.

Support frameworks for victims of violence will also remain fully operational. The 19 Emergency Hotline 1366 centers for women across the nation will provide 24-hour counseling and emergency protection throughout Chuseok. Among the 41 Sunflower Centers nationwide, 34 crisis-intervention and integrated-type branches will deliver around-the-clock counseling, medical care, legal aid, and investigation support.

The Digital Sex Crime Victim Support Center will open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the Chuseok holiday, providing victims of illegal filming and online distribution with counseling, removal of victimizing video footage, and legal, medical, and investigative support. In addition, 139 youth shelters nationwide will function normally, and Youth Counseling 1388 will be accessible 24 hours a day by phone and online.

The Family Helpline 1577-4206 will operate as usual, providing psychological and emotional counseling on pregnancy, childbirth, single-parent households, and general family concerns. The Danuri Call Center 1577-1366 will also provide 24-hour service, delivering family conflict counseling, daily life information in Korea, interpretation and translation, emergency assistance for victims of violence, and coordination with relevant agencies in 15 languages, including Korean, for multicultural families and migrant women.

A ministry official stated, "Whenever emergency rescue or crisis intervention is required, we will move quickly to link individuals with protective shelters and pertinent organizations."

                                                                                                            Kim Bo-young