Apply for Menstrual Product Purchase Vouchers for Female Adolescents: 11,500 KRW Provided Monthly

Support for Recipients, Low-Income, and Single-Parent Family Youth
Points Provided for Menstrual Product Purchases on the National Happiness Card

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family will provide sanitary pad purchase vouchers worth 11,500 KRW per month to low-income female adolescents.

On the 22nd, the Ministry announced that it will offer sanitary pad purchase vouchers to female adolescents aged 11 to 18 (born between 2003 and 2010) who are recipients of livelihood, medical, housing, or education benefits, belong to the legally designated lower-income bracket, or are eligible under the Single-Parent Family Support Act.

The monthly support amount has been increased by 5% from last year to 11,500 KRW. The vouchers are provided starting from the month of application. Voucher points usable for purchasing sanitary pads are credited to the National Happiness Card in six-month increments. The full amount can be used at once.

However, retroactive support for periods prior to the application is not available. For example, if applying in July, only six months’ worth of vouchers will be provided until the end of the year. Remaining balances do not carry over, so all must be used within the year.

The adolescent or their guardian (parent or primary caregiver) can apply by visiting the local town, township, or neighborhood community service center at the adolescent’s address or by accessing the Bokjiro website or mobile app. Once applied, support continues until the end of the year in which the adolescent turns 18, provided eligibility remains unchanged.

To use the vouchers, after applying, the adolescent or guardian must obtain a National Happiness Card (National Voucher Integrated Card) in their name. If they already have a National Happiness Card, they can use their existing card.

Sanitary pads can be purchased at designated online and offline stores specified by each card company. Since the places where vouchers can be used vary by card company, it is necessary to check in advance whether the store accepts the vouchers.

For application and support inquiries, contact the local town or township office or the youth department at the community service center. For voucher usage inquiries, contact the Social Security Information Service call center; for National Happiness Card issuance, contact the call center of each financial institution; and for other matters, contact the Youth Counseling Hotline 1388.

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