[2020 National Audit] "Should We Only Learn Taekwondo with the Sports Voucher?"

Support for Sports Class Fees for Low-Income Children and Adolescents
Kim Yeji, People Power Party Lawmaker, Points Out Bias Toward Specific Sports
"Low Participation in Affordable Public Facilities... Need to Broaden Range of Sports Choices"

Source: Office of Assemblywoman Kim Ye-ji

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] It has been revealed that the Sports Voucher program, which supports sports activities for low-income children and adolescents, is being used disproportionately for certain sports. With 65% of all users spending their vouchers on Taekwondo activities, concerns have been raised that the program’s purpose is being somewhat undermined, highlighting the urgent need for countermeasures.

On the 15th, Kim Ye-ji, a member of the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee from the People Power Party, shared data titled 'Sports Voucher Usage Status' received from the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation. According to the data, the number of people using the Sports Voucher over the past five years has steadily increased: 29,157 in 2016, 36,608 in 2017, 43,176 in 2018, 52,954 in 2019, and 51,213 as of August 2020.

The Sports Voucher program aims to support sports activities for low-income children and adolescents by providing up to 80,000 KRW per month (for one course) to cover sports class fees. Looking at the top five sports by usage each year, in 2016, Taekwondo (74.1%), swimming (3.8%), Kendo (3.4%), health/fitness (3.2%), and soccer (0.7%) ranked first to fifth respectively.

Taekwondo has consistently held the top usage spot every year. In 2017, the rankings were Taekwondo (74.0%), swimming (3.8%), Kendo (3.3%), health/fitness (2.7%), and judo (0.6%). In 2018, Taekwondo (71.1%), Hapkido (8.7%), swimming (3.7%), Kendo (3.1%), and health/fitness (2.7%). In 2019, Taekwondo (63.2%), Hapkido (8.0%), swimming (5.6%), Kendo (4.0%), and health/fitness (2.8%). As of August 2020, Taekwondo (65.3%), Hapkido (8.1%), Kendo (3.6%), boxing (2.8%), and health/fitness (2.7%) were the top five.

Regarding the classification of registered facilities by year into private and public, private sports facilities overwhelmingly dominated. As of 2020, private sports facilities accounted for 97.4% of the registered facilities participating in the Sports Voucher program, while public sports facilities made up only 2.6%.

Assemblywoman Kim stated, "To maximize the purpose of the Sports Voucher program, children should be given opportunities to learn and experience a wider variety of sports, not just specific ones. Considering that public sports facility course fees are generally cheaper than those of private facilities, it is necessary to encourage the participation of public sports facilities to broaden the range of sports options available to children."

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