Changing the Scope of Family Centered on Blood Relations and Marriage... Strengthening Punishment for Child Abuse and Domestic Violence

Revision of Family Definition and Scope to Eliminate Discrimination by Family Type
Legal Reforms Including Abolition of Non-Prosecution Offenses in Domestic Violence and Crime
'4th Basic Plan for Healthy Families' Public Hearing to Be Held on the 26th

Household Composition (Source: Statistics Korea (various years). Population and Housing Census)

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Measures to change the definition and scope of family are being promoted to break away from the traditional family structure consisting of a married couple and unmarried children. To reduce child abuse and domestic violence, stronger punishment for perpetrators is being considered, along with legal amendments to introduce a 'birth notification system' that entrusts medical institutions with reporting newborns.

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF) and the Korean Women's Development Institute will hold a non-face-to-face public hearing on the 26th, involving experts, related organizations, and the public, regarding the Basic Plan for Healthy Families. The Basic Plan for Healthy Families is established every five years under the Healthy Families Basic Act. After the public hearing and consultations with related ministries, MOGEF plans to finalize and announce the 4th Basic Plan (draft) through the Cabinet meeting review in March.

MOGEF has focused this Basic Plan on eliminating discrimination based on family types and establishing systems that embrace diversity. Noting changes in the concept of family, such as the decrease in marriage and birth rates, the increase in single-person households from 24% to 30% over ten years, and the decline in the proportion of families consisting of a couple and unmarried children from 37% to 30%, the plan aims to revise family-related laws that currently define family based on legal marriage and blood relations. Legal grounds will be established to prohibit and prevent discrimination based on family types. The plan will guarantee diverse family compositions outside the marriage system and prepare measures to protect rights such as property in alternative intimate and caregiving relationships, including unmarried and elderly cohabitation.

Income by Family Type (Source: Statistics Korea et al. (2019). Household Finance and Welfare Survey)

The Basic Plan includes introducing a 'birth notification system' where medical institutions notify public agencies of a child's birth, and changing the principle of determining a child's surname from paternal priority to parental agreement. It also explores expanding punishments for perpetrators of child abuse and domestic violence to strengthen prevention and victim protection against violence based on family hierarchy. Reflecting family diversity, amendments to the Domestic Violence Punishment Act will be pursued, including abolishing the crime of non-prosecution by victim's consent for domestic violence and crimes, to enhance the safety of family members.

Customized support will be expanded to ensure that single-parent and multicultural families are not placed in discriminatory childcare environments, and systems to support vulnerable and crisis families affected by infectious diseases and disasters will be strengthened. Due to the severe care gaps caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, an emergency care support system capable of responding to such situations will be established, and safe home care support such as child care services will be expanded.

Moon Yoo-kyung, President of the Korean Women's Development Institute, said, "I hope the 4th Basic Plan for Healthy Families will contribute to creating workplaces that guarantee caregiving rights and realize a society where both women and men work and care equally."

Jeong Young-ae, Minister of Gender Equality and Family, stated, "The 4th Basic Plan for Healthy Families focuses on creating conditions where all families are respected without discrimination and are not excluded from policies, reflecting the increase in family diversity. We will expand integrated family services based on local communities and strengthen gender-equality policies to guarantee the rights of both men and women to work and care."

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