Multicultural family benefits face review over 'fairness' concerns

The government and local authorities in South Korea are reviewing multicultural family benefits after President Lee Jae Myung raised concerns about possible “reverse discrimination.” The Ministry of Justice requested details of local support policies, and Seoul is examining all 26 of its programs. The review includes subsidized postpartum care and free online education, while officials in Gyeonggi Province and Gimje are also assessing support measures. No final decisions on changes have been made.

Mothers from multicultural families pay 1.25 million won for a two-week stay under Seoul’s subsidized postpartum care initiative, half the amount charged to general applicants.

Seoul Learn allows children from multicultural families to use its free online education service regardless of household income, while children from general households must meet an income ceiling of 80 percent of the nation’s standard median income.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said on Oct. 29 that support remained necessary but eligibility rules should be designed more carefully when applicants compete for limited assistance.

Gimje’s airfare and travel-expense program typically supports three or four families a year and excludes applicants who visited their country of origin within the previous five years.

Gyeonggi Province may adjust child care subsidies for undocumented foreign children in line with next year’s budget priorities, but no specific changes have been decided. The province also decided to abolish its Immigration and Social Affairs Bureau.

Published Nov 2, 2026 3:18 pm KST

Updated Nov 2, 2026 3:36 pm KST

Ministries, local governments examine whether support disadvantages other households

A pedestrian walks past a mural on Ansan Multicultural Food Street in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, July 26, 2023. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

The government and local authorities nationwide are launching a formal review of benefits for multicultural families after President Lee Jae Myung raised concerns that some programs unfairly disadvantage other households.

The Ministry of Justice sent an official request to local governments late last month, asking them to provide details of their support policies for such families. Based on the findings, the government is expected to review whether any of the programs amount to what the president described as “reverse discrimination” against other households.

According to city officials, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has begun examining all 26 of its multicultural family support programs for potential fairness concerns.

“The mayor spoke about this, and we first need to establish which programs the relevant departments are running and how exactly they operate,” an official told The Korea Times on Monday. “That is where things stand at the moment.”

Among the programs under review is the city’s subsidized postpartum care initiative, which places mothers from multicultural families in the second-priority admission category alongside groups like people of national merit. Mothers from multicultural families pay 1.25 million won ($930) for a two-week stay — half the amount charged to general applicants.

Seoul Learn, the city’s free online education service, also applies different eligibility rules. Children from general households must meet an income ceiling of 80 percent of the nation’s standard median income, while those from multicultural families can use the service regardless of household income.

During an Oct. 29 press briefing on Seoul’s budget plan for 2027, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said policy support for multicultural families remained necessary, but called for more carefully designed eligibility rules where applicants compete for limited assistance.

“If multicultural families are given preferential treatment even in competitive selection for assistance, other citizens may feel disadvantaged. In such cases, the eligibility rules need to be designed more carefully,” he said.

Meanwhile, Gyeonggi Province may adjust its own support measures, including child care subsidies for undocumented foreign children, in line with its budget priorities for next year, a provincial official said. No specific changes have been decided, the official added.

Separately, the provincial government recently decided to abolish its Immigration and Social Affairs Bureau as part of an organizational restructuring, roughly two years after the bureau was established, according to another provincial official.

The Ministry of Education is also gathering information to assess the fairness of priority admission rules for children from multicultural families at child care centers.

“We are reviewing the data to determine how many children from such families have been given priority over those from other households in child care admissions,” a ministry official said.

In Gimje, North Jeolla Province, officials are examining a program that provides round-trip airfare and travel expenses for multicultural families visiting their countries of origin. A city official said the program typically supports only three or four families a year and screens applicants rather than providing assistance automatically.

“We review eligibility criteria, and those who have visited their home country within the past five years are excluded,” the official said. “Because this is not unconditional assistance, I think the program is likely to continue next year.”

However, the official stressed that no final decisions have been made.

韩国政府和地方当局正在审查多元文化家庭福利政策，此前李在明总统对可能存在的“反向歧视”表示担忧。司法部要求地方政府提供相关支持政策的详细信息，首尔方面正在审查全部26项相关项目。审查内容包括产后护理补贴和免费在线教育，京畿道和金堤市的官员也在评估相关支持措施。目前尚未就政策调整做出最终决定。

来自多元文化家庭的母亲在首尔的产后护理补贴计划下，两周的住院费用为 125 万韩元，是普通申请者收费的一半。

Seoul Learn 允许多元文化家庭的儿童使用其免费在线教育服务，无论家庭收入如何；而普通家庭的儿童则必须达到该国标准中位数收入的 80% 作为收入上限。

首尔市长吴世勋10月29日表示，援助仍然是必要的，但在申请人竞争有限的援助时，资格规则应该设计得更加仔细。

Gimje 的机票和旅行费用计划通常每年资助三到四个家庭，并且不包括在过去五年内访问过其原籍国的申请人。

京畿道可能会根据明年的预算重点调整对无证外国儿童的托儿补贴，但尚未确定具体调整方案。该道还决定撤销其出入境管理局。

发布于2026年11月2日下午3:18（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年11月2日下午3:36（韩国标准时间）

各部委和地方政府会审查援助措施是否会对其他家庭造成不利影响。

2023年7月26日，一名行人走过京畿道安山市安山多元文化美食街上的一幅壁画。韩国时报摄影师沈贤哲（音译）摄。

在李在明总统提出一些项目可能对其他家庭造成不公平的不利影响后，政府和全国各地的地方当局正在对多元文化家庭的福利进行正式审查。

司法部上月底向地方政府发出正式请求，要求其提供针对此类家庭的扶持政策详情。根据调查结果，政府预计将审查相关项目是否存在总统所称的对其他家庭的“反向歧视”。

据首尔市政府官员称，首尔市政府已开始审查其全部 26 项多元文化家庭支持计划，以找出潜在的公平性问题。

一位官员周一告诉《韩国时报》：“市长谈到了这件事，我们首先需要确定相关部门正在开展哪些项目，以及它们的具体运作方式。目前情况就是这样。”

此次审查的项目之一是该市的产后护理补贴计划。该计划将多元文化家庭的母亲与国家功勋人士等群体并列为第二优先入院类别。多元文化家庭的母亲只需支付125万韩元（约合930美元）即可享受两周的护理——费用仅为普通申请者的一半。

首尔市的免费在线教育服务“首尔学习”（Seoul Learn）也采用不同的准入规则。普通家庭的儿童必须达到韩国标准收入中位数的80%上限，而多元文化家庭的儿童则不受家庭收入限制。

在 10 月 29 日举行的首尔 2027 年预算计划新闻发布会上，首尔市长吴世勋表示，对多元文化家庭的政策支持仍然是必要的，但他呼吁制定更精心设计的资格规则，让申请人竞争有限的援助。

他说：“如果多元文化家庭在竞争性援助选拔中也获得优先待遇，其他公民可能会感到自身处于不利地位。在这种情况下，资格规则需要更仔细地设计。”

与此同时，京畿道一位官员表示，京畿道可能会根据明年的预算重点调整其扶持措施，包括对无证外国儿童的托儿补贴。该官员补充说，目前尚未决定具体调整方案。

另外，据另一位省政府官员透露，省政府最近决定撤销其移民和社会事务局，作为组织结构调整的一部分，而该局成立至今大约两年。

教育部也在收集信息，以评估托儿中心对多元文化家庭儿童的优先录取规则是否公平。

“我们正在审查数据，以确定有多少来自这类家庭的儿童在托儿机构入学方面比其他家庭的儿童获得了优先权，”一位教育部官员表示。

在全罗北道金堤市，官员们正在研究一项为回国探亲的多文化家庭提供往返机票和旅行费用的项目。一位市政府官员表示，该项目通常每年只资助三到四个家庭，并且会对申请人进行筛选，而不是自动发放资助。

“我们会审查资格标准，过去五年内回过国的人将被排除在外，”这位官员说。“因为这并非无条件援助，我认为该项目明年很可能会继续开展。”

然而，该官员强调，尚未做出最终决定。