Parents to receive monthly allowance for childcare

Children participate in a session at a child care center in Seoul. All major presidential candidates are promising to provide a monthly allowance to parents for childcare./Yonhap

By Kim Se-jeong

No matter who becomes the next president, parents will start receiving a monthly allowance for childcare. The amounts and beneficiaries will differ depending on which of the five leading candidates wins the presidential election.

Moon Jae-in of the Democratic Party of Korea, the frontrunner in the race, has promised to give 100,000 won per month for children up to five years old. Ahn Cheol-soo of the People’s Party pledged 100,000 won a month for children up to 11 years old; but, only parents whose income level is in the lowest 20 percent will be eligible to receive it.

Parents with a new-born baby are currently receiving a sum of money to help with childcare expenses, but the allowance is something new.

Sim Sang-jung of the Justice Party said she will also give 100,000 won for all children up to 11 years old. Hong Joon-pyo of the Liberty Korea Party said he will give 150,000 won but only to those in elementary and middle schools and the parents’ income should be in the lowest 50 percent. Yoo Seong-min of the minor conservative Bareun Party promised 100,000 won per month for all students from elementary through high school.

The promise of a child allowance reflects the socioeconomic challenge facing Korea.

The nation’s birthrate is among the lowest in the world, diving to around 1.2 per woman recently. Despite the push to improve the situation, chances of improving this are low because of the tough environment to raise children.

The candidates also threw out generous maternity-leave promises.

Currently, women can take a paid maternity leave for three months and they are fully paid. Those who want to take longer maternity leave can receive 40 percent of their regular pay. All candidates have pledged to increase the proportion.

Moon and Hong promised to double the amount. Ahn, Yoon and Sim promised a rate increase to 60 percent.

Besides maternity leave, women can also take leave ― up to one year per child ― before the child is eight years old, for childcare. Sim promised to extend the period to 16 months, while Yoo vowed to make it three years.

Park Soon-young, a working mother in Seoul, who runs a Facebook group for working mothers, said she is not keeping her hopes up about the promises. “The fact that you can take childcare leave doesn’t necessarily mean everyone can take it,” Park recently told the Hankyoreh newspaper. “The environment is different at work.” She also said the too generous offers worry her too. “Because then, companies will stop hiring women.”