Idolbom, Up to 6.6 Billion Won of Unused Local Government Budget... Poor On-Site Management [The Swamp of Care]

Last year, the unused budget for the 'Idolbom Care Project' overseen by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family was estimated at around 35.6 billion KRW, with some local governments failing to utilize budgets as high as 6.6 billion KRW. In particular, it was confirmed that public idolbom care connections were not properly established in metropolitan areas such as Gyeonggi, Seoul, and Incheon, where demand for care is high.

Government Seoul Office, Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

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According to data submitted by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family to the office of Kim Han-gyu, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, on the 5th, the region with the largest unused budget for the Idolbom Care Project last year was Gyeonggi Province, with 6.591 billion KRW unused. Next was Seoul with 3.096 billion KRW, and Incheon, part of the metropolitan area, ranked fourth with 2.834 billion KRW. (▲Related article: [Exclusive] 'Idolbom Care' Budget Exists but Cannot Be Utilized... 35.6 Billion KRW Unused Last Year)

In terms of the ratio of unused funds to total budget, Incheon had the highest at 14.74%, with 2.834 billion KRW unused out of a total budget of 19.227 billion KRW. Sejong City (14.26%) and Seoul (14.00%) showed similar rates.

The problem is that the waiting list for idolbom care is increasing nationwide every year. According to data submitted by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, Daegu had the longest average waiting period for idolbom care services last year at 53.5 days, followed by Gyeonggi Province (46.9 days) and Jeju Province (46.0 days). The average waiting period for idolbom care services reached 33 days last year. The total number of households on the waiting list was counted at 13,031.

The National Assembly Budget Office recently advised in its analysis of the 2025 budget proposal that "efforts should be made to expand care services mainly in regions where waiting periods are relatively long or rapidly increasing." It also emphasized the need to further expand supply, stating, "From next year, government support will be provided to households with median income between 150% and 200%, and support rates will increase for other types as well, which may reduce the burden on these households and increase the number of users."

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On the ground, voices are calling for an increase in management personnel such as those at metropolitan support centers rather than just increasing the supply of caregivers. Centers want to hire more caregivers but lack the staff to manage them. Currently, to work as an idolbom caregiver, one must complete 120 hours of training at a designated training institution and be hired by a service provider designated by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family to be connected to families in need. Metropolitan support centers in each region are responsible for monitoring and managing supply and demand.

A representative from a metropolitan support center in a region with a high waiting period said, "Hiring too many caregivers is also a burden," and lamented, "Seven management staff members at the center are managing 340 caregivers as the number of caregivers increases every year." They added, "Because so many caregivers are hired, interviews tend to be more lenient regarding personality and hygiene standards compared to previous cohorts," noting that "this leads to a decline in service quality."

Another idolbom caregiver from a different region emphasized, "It is practically impossible to manage 300 to 400 caregivers without increasing operating expenses," and stressed the need for a budget increase.

Childcare facility. (Article content and photo unrelated)

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The budget necessary for actual operations has decreased. Although the support cost for idolbom care increased last year, the budget for 'Metropolitan Support Center Operations' decreased by 5%, from 4.955 billion KRW to 4.697 billion KRW. The budget for 'Caregiver Training and Management' was also cut by 4% to 46.969 billion KRW last year. While the operating budget for 'Service Provider Institutions' increased, this was for opening new institutions rather than for operating expenses.

Earlier, when related criticisms arose in the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family's year-end review report, the ministry responded that "cities and provinces are passive in designating and operating metropolitan support centers" and that "legal amendments are necessary." However, the ministry is the main department responsible for budget management under the 'National Subsidy Fund Integrated Management Guidelines' and for the project itself.

As of January this year, 15 out of 17 metropolitan cities and provinces nationwide have established metropolitan support centers managed by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. There are 234 service provider institutions at the basic local government level. Regarding this, the ministry acknowledged difficulties in on-site management. A ministry official said, "Ultimately, service provider institutions are responsible for employing caregivers, so not only the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family but also local governments need to increase the number of institutions at the basic level," adding, "The ministry is also prepared to support the budget."

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