Major Systems and Policies Changing in 2026

77 items in 5 fields (58 independent, 19 central/city)
[Safety/City] 11 policies including the opening of
Paldeung Happy Family Center, creation of heatwave shelter at Samsan Reservoir Park, introduction of smart pedestrian safety systems in public parking lots, etc.
[Culture/Tourism/Sports] 22 policies including the creation of experiential/stay-type tourism facilities in Jangsaengpo Whale Culture Special Zone, promotion of Culture and Arts Week to expand cultural enjoyment in daily life, etc.
[Economy/Jobs] 8 policies including operation of AI-utilized customized employment support programs, expansion of agri-food vouchers, etc.
[Health/Welfare/Education] 27 policies including expansion of “Hope ON-na” project, new promotion of emergency care/integrated care projects, childbirth congratulatory goods support project, etc.
[Resident Life] 9 policies including advance notice system for license plate seizure of tax-delinquent vehicles, unregistered land inquiry service, etc.


Ulsan Nam-gu (Mayor Dong-wook Seo) announced the “2026 Changed Systems and Policies,” featuring 77 items across 5 major fields closely related to resident life among the policies that will be newly implemented or changed in 2026.

Nam-gu plans to guide residents through its website, social media, and booklets so they can easily learn about information on the 5 newly changed fields (△Safety/City △Culture/Tourism △Economy/Jobs △Health/Welfare/Education △Resident Life).

First, in the Safety/City field, the Paldeung Happy Family Center opens this coming April. It is expected to improve the quality of life for residents by actively utilizing facilities such as an indoor swimming pool, children's playground, and women's cultural center.

The Sinjeong 3 Natural Disaster Risk Improvement District maintenance project, which prevents flood damage to about 2,300 households within a 20,000 ㎡ downtown area, is scheduled for completion this October. Various policies to secure safety in residents' daily lives will be promoted, such as installation of fall prevention facilities in downtown sewage manholes, creation of Sinjeong 3-dong public parking lot, introduction of smart pedestrian safety systems in public parking lots, implementation of the “Safety Family Certification System” at the Happy Safety Experience Center.

In the Culture/Tourism field, the Southern Region wide-area tourism development project and linked projects are proceeding as planned. Starting with the completion of the “Coaster Kart,” a powered amusement ride, in February, five facilities including the “Whale Back Road” aerial pedestrian bridge, “The Wave” media facade, and ‘Whale Sleep’ family accommodation facility will be completed sequentially, reinforcing experiential and stay-type tourism infrastructure for residents and tourists.

In particular, the 30th Ulsan Whale Festival will be presented to visitors with the identity of a sustainable eco-friendly festival fusing ecological culture and future technology.

Various events such as book concerts utilizing the Oehwang River Literature Prize winning work “Cheoyong’s Sea” will be held, and a “Culture and Arts Week” for residents' daily cultural enjoyment will be operated monthly at the Wangsaeng-ro Busking Zone.

To support residents' cultural enjoyment, the support amount for the Culture Nuri Card (integrated cultural voucher) will be increased from KRW 140,000 to KRW 150,000 per person per year, and the support scope (age 19 → 19？20) and amount (KRW 150,000 → 200,000) of the Youth Culture and Arts Pass will be significantly expanded.

In the Economy/Jobs field, to strengthen residents' employment capabilities, customized AI-utilized employment/startup support projects fitting the latest trends will be promoted for youths, women, and the middle-aged to enhance employment competitiveness. The startup idea contest will expand expert consulting support in desired fields.

To promptly provide customized support project information to local small business owners, the “Ulsan Nam-gu Small Business Owner” KakaoTalk channel will be newly opened, and management stabilization fund support for SMEs and small business owners will continue to be operated.
In the Health/Welfare/Education field, the per-person support amount for the “Hope ON na” project, which utilizes convenience stores as welfare windows and was praised as an excellent case of discovering welfare blind spots nationwide, will be expanded from KRW 240,000 to KRW 360,000 per year. Customized daily life recovery projects for the youth demographic will also be newly implemented.

To support cultural enjoyment for children from low-income families, “Jangsaengi Coupons” worth KRW 50,000 per person usable at local festivals and event venues will be produced and distributed. Following the enforcement of the Integrated Care Support Act, various new policies aiming to provide customized welfare services per user, such as the Nam-gu type integrated care project “Ulnam Care Net,” will be promoted.
A smart school meal system for out-of-school youths will be introduced. The Mugeo Health Life Support Center, a health hub for local residents, will operate “Jangsaengi Chef's Healthy Kitchen,” a customized healthy cooking class for patients with chronic diseases and residents in health risk groups as a new program.

The “Youth Jangsaeng School” project will be operated for youths residing and living in Nam-gu to provide emotional relaxation and self-development opportunities. The “Udeumji Talent Nurturing Scholarship Project,” which provides support for up to 12 years―a first in Ulsan―will be newly promoted.
In the Resident Life field, support for noise prevention mat construction costs for apartment households will be expanded from households with two or more children to include households with one child. Convenience policies related to tax payment and property rights, such as the advance notice system for license plate seizure of tax-delinquent vehicles, the local income tax voluntary reporting system, and the unregistered land inquiry service, have also been newly prepared.

A Nam-gu official stated, “While conducting high-intensity budget restructuring amidst difficult financial conditions, we strove to maximize the expansion of good policies that have a close impact on residents' lives,” adding, “We will do our utmost in district administration so that more residents can feel the pleasant changes and enjoy the benefits.”