Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Reviews 3 Major Implementation Tasks: 'Advance Child Support Payment System, Expansion of Childcare Services, Strengthening Deepfake Response'

Implementation of the 'Advance Payment System for Single-Parent Family Childcare Expenses' from July
Increase in Childcare Allowance for Babysitters, Introduction of Infant Care Allowance... Multi-Child Standard Lowered to 'Two'
Drop-off and Pick-up Service to Be Piloted in Collaboration with Senior Employment Projects Starting in May
Integrated Support Manual for Digital Sex Crime Victims to Be Published in June
"Three Core Tasks to Be Pursued Without Gaps"

The government will prepare subordinate laws and standards to ensure the smooth implementation of the 'Advance Payment System for Single-Parent Family Childcare Expenses' starting July 1. To alleviate the burden of caregiving, support for the childcare service will be expanded, and care allowances will be increased to improve the treatment of childcare workers. Regarding digital sex crime victims such as deepfakes, the counseling hotline is currently unified under 1366 for pilot operation and will enter full operation from April.

On the 20th, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF) announced that it will steadily promote these "three core tasks."

On this day, MOGEF reviewed the implementation performance and future plans to promote the three core tasks: "implementation of the advance payment system for single-parent family childcare expenses, restructuring of the childcare service system, and implementation of the government-wide measures against deepfake sex crimes."

Regarding the advance payment system for childcare expenses, MOGEF explained that according to the revised "Act on the Guarantee and Support for Childcare Expenses Enforcement (Childcare Expenses Enforcement Act)" amended last October, it is preparing subordinate laws and standards and conducting preliminary preparations such as building an electronic system to ensure the smooth implementation of the "Advance Payment System for Single-Parent Family Childcare Expenses" from July 1. The system targets single-parent families with unpaid childcare expenses whose income is below 150% of the median income. The state will first pay 200,000 KRW per child per month (up to age 18) and later recover the amount from the non-custodial debtor.

MOGEF is consulting with related ministries, including the Ministry of Health and Welfare, on the amendment of the enforcement decree of the Childcare Expenses Enforcement Act, which includes provisions for the notification basis of the advance payment amount and specific criteria for childcare expense debt default, to establish reasonable standards for stable payment of advance childcare expenses and prevention of fraudulent claims.

The government plans to publish the "2025 Comprehensive Guidebook for Single-Parent Family Welfare Services," introducing 70 support services for single-parent families provided by the government and public institutions, to prevent cases where single-parent families fail to apply due to lack of awareness of the advance payment system. Next month, the subordinate law amendment of the Childcare Expenses Enforcement Act will be announced for legislative notice, with revisions completed by June, and the notification of the advance payment amount will also be established. Additionally, by June, an advance payment system will be built to allow childcare expense creditors to easily apply online for advance payments.

Support for childcare services will be expanded, and both public and private childcare systems will be revised. Since January, the income criteria for childcare services have been relaxed from 150% to 200% of the median income, and the government support rate has been increased by 5 to 10 percentage points. To improve the treatment of childcare workers, the care allowance has been raised from 11,630 KRW per hour last year to 12,180 KRW this year, and a new infant care allowance (1,500 KRW per hour) has been introduced for care of infants under 36 months.

MOGEF plans to diversify services through amendments to the "Childcare Support Act." In March, the "Enforcement Rules of the Childcare Support Act" were amended and implemented to relax the government support criteria for multiple children from three to two, continuously expanding childcare support. From May, to alleviate waiting households during peak drop-off and pick-up times, a "Drop-off and Pick-up Service" will be piloted in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s senior job projects.

Follow-up measures are also underway to implement the "Strengthening Measures Against Deepfake Sex Crimes" announced jointly by related ministries last November. With the opening of a new regional specialized counseling center in Gangwon this month, which provides victim-centered services such as counseling and accompaniment to investigative agencies at the local level, a support system for digital sex crime victims will be established in all 17 metropolitan cities and provinces nationwide. The digital sex crime victim counseling hotline is unified under 1366 and is currently in pilot operation, with full operation starting in April. In addition, a working-level consultative body for related agencies responding to digital sex crimes will be formed centered on the Central Digital Sexual Violence Center, operating quarterly, and a government-wide integrated victim support manual will be published in June.

MOGEF stated, "We will continuously monitor to ensure that the planned policy tasks are carried out smoothly, maintain ongoing communication with the field, and do our best to implement policies that the public can feel and benefit from."

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