By Kim Se-jeong
The Constitutional Court on Friday ruled that rejecting childcare and daycare support for parents with overseas residence permits is unconstitutional.
In a unanimous vote, all nine justices said the government’s policy toward these parents is discriminatory.
“These parents are no different from other Koreans.
They pay taxes and therefore should be able to benefit from basic benefits provided by the government,” the court said in the ruling.
The plaintiffs were Koreans who had lived in Japan who were denied childcare for their children when they moved back to Korea, although the children had been granted Korean citizenship.
“Even parents with dual citizenship are eligible for childcare support. There’s no reason Koreans should be rejected for the support. That is discrimination without any good reason,” the court said.
The government provides parents with support for childcare and daycare centers until a child becomes eight years old. Daycare center support is designed for working parents and the government covers the entire costs.
The childcare support is 100,000 won per month.
Currently, 48,441 families with overseas resident permits live in Korea, according to the Ministry of the Interior.