1 Million Won for Getting Married...Expanded Support for Single-Parent Families, Youth, and Care Services [2027 Budget Proposal]

Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Budget Up 5.5% Year-on-Year to 2.1 Trillion Won
24-Hour Counseling System for Youth...Enhanced Care Service Quality
10 Billion Won Invested in AI Analysis System to Combat Illegal Websites

Starting next year, the government will provide a marriage support grant of 1 million won to newlywed couples, regardless of age or income. In addition, the government will strengthen support for single-parent families' child-rearing environments and for isolated or withdrawn adolescents, while the public sanitary pad project will be expanded nationwide.

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced on September 1 during a Cabinet meeting that the budget proposal for next year, which includes these initiatives, has been set at 2.1191 trillion won, representing a 5.5% increase from this year.

Yonhap News Agency

Key focus areas for next year's major projects include ▲ strengthening care and family support ▲ supporting welfare and healthy growth for at-risk youth ▲ enhancing responses to gender-based violence ▲ promoting a gender-equal society and expanding support for women's employment.

1 Million Won Marriage Support Grant...Expansion of Care Programs

First, the criteria for single-parent families to receive child-rearing subsidies will be relaxed from 65% of the median income to 66% or below, thereby expanding eligibility. The number of children eligible for support is expected to increase from 257,000 to 270,000.

To help single and single-parent women prepare for childbirth and child-rearing in a stable manner, the government will pilot a program providing a provisional parenting allowance of 230,000 won per month for three months. In addition, the number of leased housing units available will be increased from 346 to 401 to promote residential stability, and expanded medical support—such as counseling and treatment costs for borderline intellectual disabilities—will be provided to residents in single-parent family welfare facilities.

For the child care support program, the government will eliminate disparities in support according to age criteria and launch specialized care programs leveraging local care infrastructure (four locations, 380 million won). For institutions with over 200 child care providers, additional management staff will be assigned, with a budget of 1.2 billion won, to ensure stable and independent delivery of care services. Furthermore, 3 billion won will be newly allocated to increase the number of participants in continuing education tied to the introduction of qualifications for childcare workers, thereby aiming to enhance service quality.

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has newly allocated 166.3 billion won for the marriage support grant, which will provide 500,000 won per person, or 1 million won per couple, upon marriage. While the existing marriage tax deduction benefited only those with taxable income, the marriage support grant will be provided to all registered couples regardless of age or income.

Comprehensive Support for At-Risk Youth...Expansion of Center Workforce

The government will invest in comprehensively strengthening the system for identifying, protecting, rehabilitating, and supporting self-reliance among at-risk youth. A central Youth 1388 telephone counseling center will be established, and an integrated management system will be adopted to minimize waiting times and operate a 24-hour counseling service, with a budget allocation of 3.8 billion won.

The number of staff for crisis youth psychological clinics targeting suicide and self-harm cases will be increased, and pilot programs for diagnostic and developmental support for at-risk youth with borderline intellectual functioning will be launched. In addition, the government will expand one-stop package support for isolated and withdrawn youth (960 million won) and increase the number of youth welfare facilities (1 billion won). The budget also includes 2 billion won to hire 119 additional staff at centers supporting out-of-school youth.

An additional 1 billion won will be allocated to extend after-school academy operations during school breaks in rural, mountain, and fishing village areas where care gaps exist.

Public Sanitary Pad Project: 22.8 Billion Won...Expansion of Support for Women's Employment

The government intends to strengthen its ability to respond to gender-based violence such as digital sexual violence and intimate partner violence. Ten billion won will be invested in introducing and operating an AI-based deep analysis system to respond to illegal websites, and 150 million won will be allocated to analyze the causes and circumstances of homicide incidents involving victims of intimate partner violence, to form policy foundations for prevention of recurrence.

Support for protecting the rights of violence victims and ensuring their stable independence will also be expanded. An additional 400 million won will be allocated to strengthen free legal aid for victims to prove their cases and protect their rights during the initial (first trial) investigation phase. Training for investigation agency personnel on preventing secondary harm will also be expanded, bolstering victim-centered investigation support.

The government will allocate 370 million won to build an integrated support system for female violence victims and establish a monitoring and management system for employment restrictions on sex offenders. Additional funds include 540 million won for replacing old buses of mobile youth sexuality education centers and 100 million won for increasing staff at centers providing support for sexually exploited children and youth, to strengthen prevention and victim support infrastructure.

Building on the "Sanitary Pads for All" (Public Sanitary Pad) project, which was piloted this year, the government will expand the program to about 230 local governments nationwide next year, with an investment of 22.8 billion won. While the budget was fully funded by national finances this year, next year’s support will require local matching funds: 30% from Seoul and 50% from other regions, respectively.

For women's employment support, the government is newly allocating 4.4 billion won to operate programs to train and help local youth find jobs in line with industrial structure changes such as artificial intelligence transformation (AX) in companies. An additional 2.8 billion won will be allocated to 60 high value-added vocational training courses.

Minister of Gender Equality and Family Won Minkyoung stated, "We will expand support for various family types, and provide assistance for child care, child-rearing, and youth protection and healthy development," adding, "We are committed to thoroughly implementing policies that the public can feel and relate to, including support for violence prevention, speedy recovery for victims, and the spread of gender-equal workplaces."

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