Postpartum Care Subsidy Denied Due to Late Move-In Report... Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission Recommends Correction

Move-in Report Filed After Premature Birth

"Not an Intentional Delay, Subsidy Should Be Provided"

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission has expressed the opinion that postpartum care subsidies should be provided, even in cases where the move-in report was filed after the childbirth date, which was previously cited as grounds for denying the subsidy.

On February 27 last year, citizens visiting the 49th Mom and Baby Expo held at Kintex in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, were looking over various childcare products. Not directly related to the article content. Photo by Jo Yongjun

According to the commission on April 22, complainant A moved to a new residence on December 19 last year and gave birth prematurely on December 31 the same year, but did not file the move-in report until January 5 of this year. A then applied for the postpartum care subsidy on January 19, but the relevant local government rejected the application, stating, "The move-in report was filed after the child's birth date, so the eligibility requirements are not met."

The commission’s investigation found that while A did not have resident registration in the jurisdiction at the time of childbirth, A had actually been living there prior to the birth. Furthermore, the commission noted that A had intended to file the move-in report before giving birth, but the process was delayed due to the unexpected premature delivery. The commission also found that there was no difference in the amount of the postpartum care subsidy between A's previous and current local governments, and therefore concluded that A did not intentionally delay the move-in report in order to receive a higher subsidy.

The commission also considered that the purpose of the postpartum care subsidy is to encourage childbirth, and that South Korea’s birth rate is the lowest among OECD member countries, prompting the government to implement comprehensive support policies.

Heo Jae-woo, Director General of the Grievance Resolution Bureau at the commission, stated, "This decision prioritizes the original intent of encouraging childbirth in the face of the low birth rate crisis, rather than adopting an interpretation for administrative convenience," adding, "We will continue to carefully review civil complaints to ensure that no one is unfairly excluded from welfare benefits."

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