In Seoul, Over 70% of 'Protected Children' Cases Arise from 'Parental Abandonment'... 60% Receive Institutional Care

Seoul Institute Publishes 'Seoul Infographics on Status of Protected Children Occurrences'

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Among children under protection in Seoul, 7.5 out of 10 cases were caused by parental abandonment of childcare, with the proportion of 'abandonment' increasing. In particular, 60% of children under protection in Seoul were found to be cared for in facilities rather than at home.

On the 22nd, the Seoul Institute announced that it published Seoul Infographics on the occasion of 'Foster Care Day,' focusing on the status of children under protection in Seoul. Children under protection refer to 'children who have no guardian or have been separated from their guardian, or cases where the guardian abuses the child, or where the guardian is not suitable or unable to raise the child.'

From 2000 to 2019, the number of children under protection in Seoul was 110,000, accounting for half of the nationwide total of 230,000 children under protection. More than 10,000 cases occurred annually from 2001 to 2005, decreasing to fewer than 1,000 cases in 2019.

From 2000 to 2019, excluding children who were returned home, the reasons for children under protection in Seoul were overwhelmingly 'unmarried parents/out-of-wedlock children' (63.5%), followed by 'child abuse' (13.7%), and 'delinquency/runaway/juvenile homelessness' (10.4%).

Nationwide, the reasons for children under protection were 'unmarried parents/out-of-wedlock children' (32.7%), 'child abuse' (32.2%), and 'parental poverty/death/illness/divorce' (19.9%), with Seoul showing a relatively higher proportion of 'unmarried parents/out-of-wedlock children.'

In particular, from 2008 to 2019, the reasons for children under protection nationwide showed that 'child abuse' increased significantly from 9.6% in 2008 to 36.7% in 2019, while in Seoul, 'abandonment' increased the most sharply from 1.4% in 2008 to 16.2% in 2019.

In 2019, 6 out of 10 children under protection in Seoul were cared for in facilities, while the remaining 4 were protected through foster care, pre-adoption foster care, adoption, or youth homes. Seoul showed a pre-adoption foster care rate of 24.2%, which was significantly higher than the national rate of 4.8%.

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