South Korea’s presidential office is weighing changes to postpartum-care priority rules amid a debate over how Seoul’s subsidized program ranks mothers, including those from multicultural families.
Presidential aides said Thursday, Oct. 29, that the office would consult local governments and consider revising the enforcement decree to direct priority toward mothers with greater need, Korea JoongAng Daily and Hankyoreh reported. Lim Ho-geun, presidential secretary for population policy, told Hankyoreh that officials would hear from local governments operating centers and people working in the sector.
The Seoul-type Safe Postpartum Care Center pilot differs from the municipal public centers covered by the decree: it uses selected private facilities with city support. Seoul’s reservation listing requires applicants to have lived in the city for at least one year. It places mothers from multicultural families in the second tier, alongside national merit recipients, protected North Korean defectors, disabled mothers, single-parent families and some mothers of multiple children.
A standard 13-night, 14-day stay costs 3.9 million won. First-tier users have no out-of-pocket payment; second-tier users pay 1.25 million won, while third- and fourth-tier users pay 2.5 million won, according to the city listing. The pilot is scheduled to run from June 2026 through May 2027 at five centers. Seoul reported that 131 mothers used it in its first month and that the four centers initially operating had filled 538 reservations for 2026.
In comments published Friday, President Lee Jae Myung endorsed continuing programs such as cultural adaptation and bilingual education, while saying other benefits for multicultural families should be reviewed, The Korea Herald reported. The paper quoted an X post from Lee saying fairness in public administration does not depend on the size of a benefit. The Korea Herald also reported that the progressive Rebuilding Korea Party called for an apology, saying Lee’s remarks could contribute to discrimination.
Article 17-6 of the Mother and Child Health Act Enforcement Decree, which covers local-government-run public postpartum centers, was introduced in an amendment that took effect June 23, 2016. The presidential office has not announced a deadline or final decision. Its next reported step is consultation with local governments; Seoul’s pilot is scheduled to continue through May 2027.
