Lee proposes starting expanded childcare payments in January, not July

President Lee Jae-myung has asked officials to consider bringing forward a major expansion of childcare payments after the planned July start triggered an equity dispute.

Speaking at a Cabinet meeting, Lee said people had questioned what would happen to a child born the day before the eligibility date. He suggested applying the policy from Jan. 1 instead of July 1 next year, effectively moving the starting point forward by six months.

“

I wonder if we could apply it from January 1.

The Health and Welfare Ministry’s plan would provide up to 69 million won through age 12 for a first child born in a population-decline area after July 1. A child born one day earlier would remain under the existing system and receive about 38 million won over the same period.

“

It would require an increase of about 250 billion won in the budget.

Health and Welfare Minister Jung Eun-kyeong said the earlier application would require roughly 250 billion won in additional budget funding, along with social agreement and legal provisions for retroactive application. Lee responded that the country should be able to secure the necessary tax revenue through work done this year.

Budget Minister Park Hong-keun said the main obstacle might not be funding but the time needed to modify the existing system. If the administrative system could be built earlier, he said the government could apply the payments from Jan. 1 through parliamentary budget review.

“

Rather than a budget problem, the issue was the physical time needed to change and supplement the existing system.