In the past, limited resources and defense spending priorities hindered welfare development.
The National Health Insurance system is regarded as one of the best globally, but there are concerns about wasteful resource use.
As welfare policies in Europe became known and polarization problems – elderly poverty, poor children, etc.
As a result, there was a debate over whether to focus on eliminating major issues in the traditional welfare system (mainly cash benefits) or preparing for new social risks such as work-family compatibility and active labor market policies.
The insurance system has resulted in the South Korean health indicators to be above the OECD average (average life expectancy, infant mortality rate per 1,000 people, high medical accessibility, high quality of medical care, etc.).
[11] However, the practice-specific fee system adopted by Korea is said to be wasting resources by encouraging excessive medical treatment.
It helps women whose careers have been cut off due to pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare, to enter society again.
[17] • Opposition to unpaid menstrual leave • Call for the introduction of political and employment quotas • Demand for Expanded Women's Welfare Budget • Sexual torture countermeasures committee activities and human trafficking countermeasures activities • a campaign to revise the Equal Employment Law for Men and Women • a campaign to revise the family law • Daycare legislation • Comprehensive revision of the Maternal and Child Health Act (1986) • Enactment of the Equal employment Act (1987) • Amendment to the Equal Employment Act (1989)[18] • Enactment of the Mother and Child Welfare Act (1989) • Revised appointment of local public officials (abolition of gender-restricted recruitment) • Third Amendment to the Family law (1989)[19] 2) Women's Movement and Women's Welfare in the 1990s In the 1990s, the growth of civil society and various social movements were activated in Korean society amid the global wave of openness.
In addition, each women's organization specified the direction of activity and specialized its own characteristics, focusing on interest in a specific field.
As shown in Table 2 below, the women's movement in the 1990s led the most reformative legislation in the field of social welfare, including the enactment of the Infant Care Act and the revision of the Special Act on Sexual Violence and Domestic Violence.
(1995) • Introduction of the women's recruitment target system under Civil Service Appointment Test Decree (1995) • Establishment of the Child Care Leave System and Nursing Leave System under the National Public Officials Act (1995) • Revision of the Act on Family Violence (1997) • Second and third amendments to the Equal Employment Act (1995, 1999) • Act on the Prohibition and Relief of Gender Discrimination (1998) • Abolishing Military Additional Points (1999) 3) Women's Movement and Women's Welfare in the 2000s In the 2000s, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, which is in charge of women's policy, became more active in public-private and academic cooperation.
[29] It was scheduled to be released in June 2023 and is a financial product for young people aged 19 to 34 with work and business income.
However, if the mandatory five-year subscription period is not met and the termination is canceled in the middle, the reduced tax amount may be collected.
Through this, 136,028 young people in Seoul saved an average monthly transportation cost of 6,181 won.
[30] In the case of the Youth Tomorrow Fill Deduction, a system in which companies and the government support large sums of young people together, some reorganization will begin in 2023.
[30] The Youth Tomorrow Fill Deduction is a financial product that allows young people, companies, and the government to make 12 million won at the expiration of two years after establishing a certain amount.
It is for young people aged 15 to 34 working for small and medium-sized companies with a monthly salary of 3 million won or less.
In addition, the number of reserves has changed, increasing the amount that young people and companies have to pay.
[30] Youth challenge support projects will also be expanded to increase opportunities for young people to work.
[31] The Basic Direction of Welfare for the Elderly:[32] Korea provides compulsory education to middle school students.
[34] Korea's public social welfare expenditure is 12.3% of the gross domestic product (GDP), which is 60% of the average of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Cash benefits for the vulnerable are politically less popular than universal social service provision.