South Korea to Give Pregnant Unmarried and Single Parents 230,000 Won Monthly Preparatory Childcare Allowance

Pregnant unmarried women and single parents in South Korea will receive 230,000 won a month for three months starting next year under a new preparatory childcare allowance.

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said the measure forms part of a 2.1191 trillion-won budget proposal approved by the Cabinet, up 5.5% from this year. The allowance follows calls in a ministry policy briefing late last year to strengthen support for unmarried mothers and fathers.

The government will also widen eligibility for child-rearing payments to single-parent families. The threshold will rise from households below 65% of median income, covering 257,000 people this year, to those below 66%, covering about 270,000 next year. The newly included households will not receive the same amount as those below the existing threshold. Current recipients receive 230,000 won a month, while the plan calls for payments of about 120,000 won for households in the 65% to 66% range.

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The eligible group will expand, but the amount will decrease in stages. We currently pay 230,000 won a month to households below 65% of median income, while the plan is to pay about 120,000 won to those at 66%.

From the second half of next year, couples who register their marriage after Jan. 1 will be eligible for a new cash payment of 500,000 won per person, or 1 million won per couple. Unlike the existing marriage tax credit, the payment will not depend on whether recipients have income. Couples who register by the end of 2026 will continue to receive the existing tax credit through year-end tax settlement.

The ministry also plans to expand recovery-support facilities for at-risk youth from 18 to 20 sites, partly in preparation for possible changes to the age threshold for juvenile offenders. It will spend 1 billion won on an artificial intelligence system to analyze illegal sexual-exploitation websites and 150 million won to study the causes and progression of deaths linked to violence in intimate relationships. The ministry said lower central-government funding for women’s safety and youth policy programs reflects a shift toward greater local-government contributions, with services expected to remain similar or increase.

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The central-government share has been adjusted to 50% because local governments will bear a larger portion in areas that previously received 70% national funding. It may look like a reduction in the ministry’s budget, but the actual services will remain almost the same or increase.