The Ministry of Gender Equality announced on July 2 that it will begin a phased rollout of the public menstrual product service in these 12 pilot areas.
The pilot regions include Gwangjin and Eunpyeong in Seoul, Gwangmyeong and Suwon in Gyeonggi Province, Seocheon County in South Chungcheong Province, Jung District in Daejeon, Jeongeup City in North Jeolla Province, Mokpo City in South Jeolla Province, Buk District in Gwangju, Gumi City in North Gyeongsang Province, Geochang County in South Gyeongsang Province, and Jeju City in Jeju Province.
The service will focus on accessible public facilities, with menstrual products and dispensers being provided as facilities prepare for the rollout. This initiative allows anyone in need of menstrual products to obtain them conveniently from nearby public facilities. Previously, support for menstrual products was provided through a voucher system for vulnerable female youth aged 9 to 24, offering 14,000 won per month, but this will now be complemented by the public menstrual product initiative.
Menstrual products will be packaged with the labels "public menstrual products" and "everyone's menstrual products," containing two medium-sized pads per pack. The selection process for these products has been vetted by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to ensure safety standards.
Each facility will display signage to help users locate the products easily, and designated staff will manage the supply and operation of the menstrual products. The service will utilize both manual and automatic dispensers, depending on the facility's conditions. According to the Ministry, 300 manual dispensers and 400 automatic dispensers will be installed, totaling 700 units.
Manual dispensers will be installed starting July 6, while automatic dispensers will be gradually installed from July 20 after undergoing electromagnetic wave testing.
Manual dispensers do not require a power source and can hold 18 packs of menstrual products, primarily installed inside restrooms. They will also feature braille on the top for accessibility.
Automatic dispensers can hold 170 packs of menstrual products. Users can receive products by pressing a "get" button on the front of the machine, which allows for more systematic management of stock and usage through a monitoring system.
Starting July 6, the Ministry will provide information on available facilities through its website and local government sites, with plans to expand services to include a separate webpage for users to search for nearby facilities and check product availability.
Minister of Gender Equality Won Min-kyung stated, "The public menstrual product pilot program is significant in enhancing the accessibility of public services, allowing everyone to use menstrual products without inconvenience, which is closely related to women's health rights. We hope that diversifying supply channels will also contribute indirectly to price stabilization."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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