Next Year's Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Budget 1.5678 Trillion Won ... 17.3 Billion Won Increase

Budget Bill Deliberated and Approved by National Assembly... Increased Compared to Government Proposal
Idolbom-Related Budget Increased by 76.8 Billion Won to 354.6 Billion Won
New Support Projects Established for Five Major Violence Issues Including Stalking and Human Trafficking

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family's budget for next year has been finalized at 1.5678 trillion KRW, a 7.0% increase from this year. This reflects the government and National Assembly's commitment to supporting socially vulnerable groups.

The Ministry announced on the 24th that the budget for next year was confirmed at 1.5678 trillion KRW after National Assembly review. This is an increase of 17.3 billion KRW compared to the government's proposed budget of 1.5505 trillion KRW. Compared to this year's budget of 1.465 trillion KRW, it represents a 7.0% increase. A ministry official explained, "This appears to reflect support for stalking victims, single-person households, high-risk youth, out-of-school youth, an increase in youth facility meal unit costs, and support for the 2023 World Jamboree."

Strengthening Support for Single-Person and Single-Parent Families and Providing Integrated Family Services

The area with the largest budget increase is family policy projects. First, to address childcare gaps for dual-income families, the child care support hours will be expanded from 480 hours to 960 hours annually, and the number of supported households will increase from 75,000 to 85,000. The related budget totals 354.6 billion KRW, an increase of 76.8 billion KRW from last year.

The eligibility for child-rearing support for single-parent families has been relaxed from 52% of median income to 60% (2-person household 기준 2,074,000 KRW). For adolescent single-parent families, the threshold has been expanded from 60% to 65% (2-person household 기준 2,247,000 KRW). This is to reduce the child-rearing burden and support livelihood stability for single-parent families. Accordingly, a budget of 495.9 billion KRW, an increase of 74.6 billion KRW from last year, has been allocated.

The budget for the healthy growth of children in multicultural families has also been increased. Basic learning support centers will increase from 90 to 138 locations, and career and employment counseling centers from 79 to 113 locations. Additionally, personnel for interpretation, language development, and bilingual environment support will be increased. The related budget has risen by 4.3 billion KRW to 24.7 billion KRW compared to last year.

The budget for single-person households, a growing social issue, has been confirmed at 1.84 billion KRW, an increase of 1.23 billion KRW. The ministry stated that hospital accompaniment and emergency care services will be introduced, and social relationship network support such as self-help groups to prevent loneliness and isolation will expand from 12 to 36 locations.

Budget scale by policy area of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. Provided by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.

Strengthening Customized Support for Victims of the Five Major Types of Violence

A new budget has been allocated to support stalking victims in safely recovering their daily lives. Housing support using emergency admission dormitories and rental housing (20 units) will be provided, treatment recovery programs introduced, and protection facilities for male victims of violence will be established. A budget of 1.5 billion KRW has been assigned for these measures.

At Sunflower Centers, dedicated personnel for video witness testimony (one counselor per center, 25 centers) will be secured, and support for child and adolescent victims will be strengthened. The cost of emergency kits for collecting sexual violence evidence will be adjusted from 75,000 KRW to 100,000 KRW per kit. A total budget of 3.6 billion KRW will be invested.

To support victims of increasingly diverse digital sex crimes, support systems will be expanded to the regional level, and cooperation with the Central Digital Sex Crime Victim Support Center will be strengthened. This will enable rapid and stable deletion of victim-filmed materials and conduct surveys on crimes related to child and adolescent sexual exploitation materials. The related budget has more than doubled from last year's 500 million KRW to 1.2 billion KRW.

Following the implementation of the Anti-Human Trafficking Act next year, a budget of 400 million KRW has been allocated for preventing human trafficking and supporting victims. The ministry will operate regional rights protection agencies and victim support collaboration programs, and promote a pilot integrated support project for victims of the five major types of violence in two regions, providing swift support from reporting to recovery.

Strengthening Customized Support for High-Risk Youth

Support for high-risk youth, including those at risk of suicide or self-harm, will also be strengthened. Thirty-four clinical psychologists will be newly assigned to 17 youth counseling and welfare centers, and youth companions (from 1,363 to 1,398) and Youth Counseling 1388 staff (from 89 to 99) will be increased. The budget for high-risk youth has been set at 32.3 billion KRW.

The special support target for high-risk youth facing economic difficulties due to inflation will be expanded from 65-72% of median income to 100%, and living support payments will increase from a maximum of 550,000 KRW to 650,000 KRW per month. The unit cost for sanitary products for vulnerable female youth will also rise from 12,000 KRW to 13,000 KRW per month. The budget for these projects has increased by 1 billion KRW to 13.6 billion KRW compared to this year.

The budget for strengthening support projects for out-of-school youth has been set at 27.3 billion KRW, an increase of 2.2 billion KRW. The government plans to increase support personnel at out-of-school youth support centers by 30 and expand dedicated spaces for out-of-school youth from 44 to 54 locations. Health checkup items will also be expanded from 17 to 26.

Monthly independence support allowances for youth leaving youth shelters will increase from 300,000 KRW to 400,000 KRW, and the number of beneficiaries will expand significantly from 140 to 240. Nighttime protection counselors at youth shelters will increase from 131 to 191, and youth independence support officers from 11 to 13 centers, further strengthening support for youth outside the family.

Expanding Support for Women's Economic Participation and Promoting Gender Equality Culture

The budget to activate women's economic participation has also increased. The number of digital and new technology future promising job training courses at Saeil Centers will expand from 66 to 74, and the dedicated teams for preventing career breaks will increase from 7 to 12. The related budget has been finalized at 26.4 billion KRW, an increase of 2.36 billion KRW.

A budget of 3.8 billion KRW, an increase of 2.5 billion KRW, will be invested in building the National Women's History Museum, which will reexamine women's lives and roles in history and serve as an integrated historical space for families. The ministry expects the museum to foster a balanced historical awareness.

To enhance youth consensus in local communities, communication programs and policy reviews from a gender equality perspective will be supported, and new support for diagnosing and improving organizational culture in the public sector to promote gender-equal organizational culture will be established. A budget of 400 million KRW has been allocated for these efforts.

Minister Kim Hyun-sook of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family stated, "The 2023 budget for the Ministry focuses on the smooth implementation of national tasks," adding, "We will do our best to support vulnerable groups such as single-parent families and high-risk youth, reduce child-rearing burdens, and assist victims of violence including stalking victims according to the allocated budget."

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