Childcare Policy in Korea: Current Status and Major Issues

This paper discusses the main policies and efforts aimed at childcare support undertaken by the Korean Government from 2003 to 2007, as well as dealing with the ensuing policy issues which arose as a result of such efforts. This paper also seeks to review the details and implications of the First and Second Policy Scheme of National Childcare Support, as well as those of the Nationwide Survey of Childcare and Early Childhood Education prepared by the Presidential Committee in 2004 and 2005. In addition, this study investigates changes made to major childcare support policy indicators, which can be said to be the output of implementing policy tasks. Some quantitative indicators such as the supply of childcare facilities and childcare budgets indicate clear increases while other indicators, such as teachers’ salaries, the safety condition of facilities, and the actual measurements of the quality of childcare service do not indicate an increase. This paper also discusses some issues of controversy regarding childcare support policies which the government will encounter in the process of policy creation as well as actually undertaking policy projects. These issues include the expansion of public services as opposed to the utilization of private services, support for low-income families as opposed to general support, control of rather than self-regulation of childcare fees, support for institutions as opposed to direct assistance to young children, and maximization rather than the minimization of governmental intervention. This study concludes that Korea’s childcare policies are evolving from a conservative approach to a more progressive one. National welfare and associated policies are expected to continue to move towards a more progressive perspective, despite the diversity of opinion within Korean society over these issues, as evidenced in current debates. This is because general financial support has been greatly increased on an annual basis and this has taken place against the backdrop of a national consensus which has seen a broadening of governmental support for childcare due to the crisis of an ever lowering fertility rate.