Politics · South Korea · 27 mins ago
South Korea to review maternity-care priority rules for multicultural families
President Lee Jae-myung said he would review priority access to public postpartum care for multicultural families in South Korea.
He shared a post about rules that place mothers from multicultural families among groups given priority for public postpartum care facilities.
The presidential office said the review is about fairer access, not ending support for multicultural families.
The priority rules were set in 2016, and the government is considering changes to the related decree.
Any new criteria should prioritize mothers most in need, while taking local government differences into account and avoiding gaps in support.
The comments prompted criticism, and the office also clarified that Lee’s separate remarks on foreign workers focused on low-paid farm and fishing jobs, not on ending support for foreign workers.
South Korea’s presidential office said it would review rules governing priority access to public postpartum care centres.
The review follows President Lee Jae-myung’s comments questioning whether multicultural families should receive priority treatment.
The office said the aim was to make the priority system fairer and more reasonable, not to end support for multicultural families.
It said the relevant rules were set in June 2016 and that any revision should account for local governments’ circumstances and autonomy.
The office also said it would continue addressing difficulties faced by multicultural families and prevent gaps in support.
- Who
- President Lee Jae-myung and his presidential office; the office said it would review the rules.
- What
- The government will consider revising rules that give certain groups priority access to public postpartum care centres.
- When
- The office announced the review on October 29, 2026, a day after Lee’s comments.
- Where
- South Korea.
- Why
- The office said it wants a fairer and more reasonable priority system that directs benefits to mothers who need them most.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Lee said at a cabinet meeting that employing foreign workers did not greatly benefit the national economy.
Lee shared a post about priority access for multicultural families at public postpartum care centres and said the policy should be reviewed.
The presidential office said it would consider revising the enforcement decree governing priority access.
- Review announced
- October 29, 2026
- Rules established
- June 2016
- Policy under review
- Priority access to public postpartum care centres
- President
- Lee Jae-myung
- Intended approach
- Fairer and more reasonable priority criteria
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What people are saying
모자보건 지원에 있어 문제제기는 다문화가정에 대한 지원을 없애자는 게 아니라 산후조리원 이용 우선순위의 공정성과 합리성을 높여 모든 출산 가정이 공감할 수 있는 지원 체계로 개선할 필요성을 제기한 것
산후조리원 우선 이용 지원계층을 규정하고 있는 ‘모자보건법 시행령’의 별표 기준은 10년 전(2016년 6월)에 마련된 규정으로, 이 대통령은 과거보다 다문화가족에 대한 다양한 정책적 지원이 확충된 현시점에서 기존 규정에 대한 재검토가 필요하다고 판단한 것