Ministry of Gender Equality and Family to Provide Child Support for Children of Unmarried Fathers Even Before Birth Registration

Expansion of Health Insurance Coverage Period

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] Children of unmarried fathers who have not married will be able to receive child-rearing expenses and health insurance coverage even before their birth is registered.

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced on the 12th that it discussed the "Improvement Plan for Birth Registration and Support for Children of Unmarried Fathers" at the 12th Social Relations Ministers' Meeting.

Starting this month, unmarried fathers can receive child-rearing expenses retroactively up to the application date by submitting to the community service center a confirmation application for birth registration of a biological child submitted to the family court (copy of the complaint), DNA test results, and social welfare electronic management number, even before the child's birth registration. The support amount is 200,000 KRW per month, and for single-parent youth under 24 years old, it is 350,000 KRW per month.

Unmarried fathers can also register their child's birth through family court confirmation if certain conditions are met, but it is still difficult to register the birth in cases such as when the mother's personal information is unknown. Unmarried fathers facing difficulties in birth registration can receive legal support and DNA testing cost assistance from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.

Furthermore, the health insurance coverage period was previously limited to one year after birth, but it will now be extended beyond one year. Since there are cases where birth registration cannot be completed due to ongoing litigation procedures after one year of age, if an unmarried father applies, the child will be able to continuously receive health insurance support.

The admission criteria for single-parent family welfare facilities will also be relaxed from below 60% of the median income to below 100%. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family plans to support single-parent families to reside stably in the facilities during their period of being homeless.

On the afternoon of the same day, Minister Lee Jung-ok of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family will visit a single-parent family welfare facility to discuss single-parent support policies. Minister Lee said, "By expanding support for unmarried fathers, we will create a nurturing environment where the state supports all children without discrimination from birth registration to health insurance."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.