보건복지부 영문홈페이지

KRW 122.5 Trillion Earmarked for MOHW’s 2024 Budget,

Up 12.2% from 2023

 

- More intensive and seamless welfare for the weak,

and more thorough and elaborate preparation for the future -

 

 

The Ministry of Health and Welfare (Minister Cho, KyooHong) said the 2024 budget for MOHW was approved at Cabinet Meeting on August 29. The total expenditure has been set at KRW 122.4538 trillion, up 12.2% from this year’s KRW 109.183 trillion.

 

This increase rate is more than 4 times that of the total government expenditure increase rate of 2.8%, which indicates the government’s commitment to investing boldly in essential areas that the government must address such as helping the weak and preparing for the future, while controlling the increase in total government spending to a minimum for its fiscal stability.

 

MOHW’s 2024 budget will be spent primarily in four key areas, including ① strengthening the Welfare for the Weak, ② tackling the falling fertility rate, ③ establishing a regionally self-sufficient essential healthcare system, and ④ securing global competitiveness in bio and digital healthcare fields.

 

Firstly, MOHW will provide more in-depth support for the low-income class, the elderly, and the persons with disabilities to enhance the Welfare for the Weak, by increasing level of support for their income, job opportunities, and caring service. Support will also focus on identifying new welfare target groups including isolated and reclusive young adults and young carers in a bid to eliminate welfare blind spots.

 

Basic livelihood benefits for four-person households will be increased by 13.16%, up KRW 213,000 from this year’s basic livelihood benefit. 147,000 more jobs for the elderly will be added, the highest level of increase in history, to provide 1.03 million senior citizens with job opportunities. The amount of monthly salary for such jobs will be raised by KRW 20,000~40,000 for the first time in six years. Also, customized one-on-one care services will be provided to persons with the most severe developmental disabilities who cannot use existing care services.

 

Young Carers will be supported with self-care subsidy of KRW 2 million per year, and individualized case management services will be available to isolated and reclusive young adults to help them reintegrate into society. In the same context, support will be uplifted for those who are exposed to welfare blind spots and enduring harships, including by expanding the programs for individuals who are at a high risk of lonely deaths, including single-person households, to a nationwide level.

 

Secondly, the government will take measures to vastly alleviate the financial costs of pregnancy and childbirth, as well as the child-rearing burden.

 

In particular, couples wishing to have a child will be eligible for new types of support to undergo essential fertility tests (reproductive health) and use assisted reproductive technology with frozen eggs, while the income criteria for medical subsidies for high-risk pregnancies, premature births, and congenital anomalies will be abolished to mitigate the financial burdens.

 

To reduce child-rearing costs for families with infants, parent benefit will be increased to KRW 1 million for infants who are under 1 year old, while the newborn-care support voucher will be raised from KRW 2 million to 3 million for a second child and thereafter. The government will more than double the number of hourly-rate childcare facilities from 1,030 to 2,315 to allow parents caring for infants to receive childcare services whenever they need it, and “Infant-care Incentives” will be newly launched to provide subsidies for childcare facilities that offer infant-care services but struggle to meet infant enrollment quotas to ensure a stable supply of infant-care services.

 

Thirdly, the government will establish a regionally self-sufficient essential healthcare system.

 

The government will overhaul the emergency medical service system including a pilot project to reform the emergency medical service delivery system and the rotational duty schedule system to ensure that all emergency patients receive up to final-stage treatment in a timely manner at their residence. Moreover, the government will design the pediatric healthcare system to be aligned with each level of treatment needs, including by running 24/7 children’s counseling center, Moonlight Children’s Hospitals, emergency medical center for children, public children’s hospital, and regional children’s cancer centers.

 

The paradigm for mental healthcare services will shift from treatment to prevention-oriented services. Through the “Nationwide Mental Health Investment Project” to be launched in 2024, all citizens starting with high and medium-risk groups will be able to receive counseling services when necessary, and the government will ramp up investments in running campaigns and offering education to raise public awareness of mental healthcare.

 

Fourthly, the government will strengthen competitiveness of Korea’s bio and digital health sector.

 

The R&D paradigm will shift to task-oriented R&D, with the global R&D network to be expanded to innovate and align Korea’s bio R&D capacity with global standards. The government will launch the “Korean version of the ARPA-H Project” to tackle major national health challenges by supporting innovative, high-cost, and high-complexity research projects with ripple effects. In addition, the “Boston-Korea Project” is designed to secure super-gap biotechnology by working with leading global organizations.

 

Deputy Minister of Planning and Coordination at MOHW Kim Heon Joo said “The 2024 budget has been prepared under tight financial constraints and it clearly indicates the priorities that the government needs to address. The 2024 budget focuses on effectively protecting the weak in our society, augmenting essential healthcare system to protect the lives of people, and investing in the future, including tackling the low fertility rate and promoting strategic industries.”

 

He also added, “We will share what our challenges are with the members of the National Assembly and citizens in the course of the National Assembly’s deliberation, and work toward advancing our health and welfare policies by discussing together.”

 

The 2024 budget will be approved at the end of the year after the National Assembly’s deliberation. ///