South Korea has reformed what was deemed an “absurd regulation” that applied different postpartum care support standards to maternal grandmothers and paternal grandmothers-in-law. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Dec. 20 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea has reformed what was deemed an “absurd regulation” that applied different postpartum care support standards to maternal grandmothers and paternal grandmothers-in-law, the Office for Government Policy Coordination announced on December 19.
The issue emerged as the top concern in the government’s “Absurd Regulations Public Contest” and was discussed at a ministerial meeting presided over by Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo.
Under the previous system, new mothers could apply for government-supported postpartum care workers who hold healthcare certificates. However, the rules excluded support if the care worker was legally considered family under civil law.
This led to a peculiar situation where a maternal grandmother with healthcare certification was ineligible for government support when caring for her daughter, as she was considered a direct blood relative. Conversely, a mother-in-law with the same qualifications could receive government support when caring for her daughter-in-law, as they were not considered family members under civil law if living separately.
In response to public criticism, the Ministry of Health and Welfare has revised its guidelines to provide government support regardless of family relationships, as long as the caregiver holds proper healthcare certification.
A recent government report has revealed significant disparities in the availability and cost of postpartum care centers across South Korea. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
The contest also highlighted other regulatory issues, including rules for middle school placement priority for families with multiple children.
Previously, children over 18 were excluded from the count, meaning that in a three-child family, if the eldest was over 18, the younger siblings lost their priority placement benefits.
The Ministry of Education addressed this in October by revising regulations to grant priority regardless of the children’s ages.
Other issues raised in the contest included concerns about digital gift certificate balance processing, restrictions on middle and high school basketball player transfers, bottled water expiration date labeling, and public institution military service period calculations for pay grade determination.
The Office for Government Policy Coordination reported that relevant ministries have either completed or are in the process of implementing improvements to address these concerns.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
