43.6% of foreign children in state care miss living expense support, data show
In short
Data obtained from the Health and Welfare Ministry show that 17 of 39 foreign children in national child welfare facilities (43.6%) received no separate living expense support as of June 30, and 24 (61.5%) had no record of local government medical support. In five of the ten cities and provinces where such children are housed, no child received living expense support. Child welfare group Green Umbrella, which analysed the data, called for the support system to be changed so publicly protected children are not treated differently.
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More than four in ten foreign children in the care of South Korea's child welfare facilities received no separate living expense support, according to government data analysed by the child welfare group Green Umbrella. As of June 30, 39 foreign children were being housed in child welfare facilities nationwide, and 17 of them, or 43.6%, were not receiving separate living expense payments, Yonhap and Dong-A Ilbo reported. Medical expense support showed a wider gap: 24 of the 39 children, or 61.5%, had no confirmed record of support from a local government. [ 2 , 3 ]
The gap is uneven across the country. In five of the ten cities and provinces where foreign children are housed in facilities, no child received living expense support, according to the data. The Ministry of Health and Welfare's 2026 child sector business guide covers living expenses for foreign children in facilities through local budgets, but the documents describe the guidance differently: Yonhap writes that the ministry tells local governments to provide the support from local funds, while Dong-A Ilbo writes that the guide allows them to do so. [ 2 , 3 ]
On medical costs, there is no support standard applied nationwide, Yonhap reported. Seoul has allocated a separate budget and regularly funds medical expenses for foreign children in facility care, while other local governments differ in whether support is given depending on health insurance eligibility or place of residence, the analysis said. One 16-year-old foreign child in facility care, whose family circumstances led to the placement, covered clothing, living and activity costs from the facility's own funds and donations because no public living expense support was received. [ 2 ]
Green Umbrella obtained the data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare through the office of lawmaker Jeon Jin-sook and analysed it. The group said the children are in care because the state has recognised the need to protect them, and called for the support system to be improved so that living and medical support for children inside public protection is not provided differently from other children. [ 2 ]
Why it matters
The documents show that children the state has taken into protection can still fall outside the local budgets meant to cover their living and medical costs, with the gap depending on region and health insurance status. Because the ministry issues only guidance, the practical level of support is set locally, and child welfare groups are pressing for a national standard.
Key facts
- As of June 30, 39 foreign children were in the care of child welfare facilities nationwide; 17 of them (43.6%) received no separate living expense support. [ 2 , 3 ]
- 24 of the 39 children (61.5%) had no confirmed record of medical expense support from a local government. [ 2 , 3 ]
- In five of the ten cities and provinces where foreign children are housed in facilities, no child received living expense support. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The Ministry of Health and Welfare's 2026 child sector business guide tells local governments that living expenses for foreign children in facilities are funded from local budgets. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Green Umbrella obtained the data from the ministry through the office of lawmaker Jeon Jin-sook and analysed it. [ 2 , 3 ]
- A 16-year-old foreign child in facility care covered clothing, living and activity costs from the facility's own resources and donations because no public living expense support was received. [ 2 ]
- Green Umbrella said children brought into public protection should not receive living and medical support on different terms from other children. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Seventeen of 39 foreign children in child welfare facilities, or 43.6%, received no separate living expense support as of June 30. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The figures come from ministry data that Green Umbrella analysed after obtaining it through lawmaker Jeon Jin-sook's office. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The ministry's 2026 child sector business guide directs that living expenses for foreign children in facilities be financed from local budgets. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Five of the ten cities and provinces housing such children had no child receiving living expense support. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Medical expense support for these children shows a gap, with 61.5% having no confirmed local government support record. [ 2 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- Which five cities and provinces recorded no living expense support for foreign children in care. The documents give the number of regions but do not name them.
- Whether Seoul's separate medical expense programme is the only regular local scheme of its kind. Only Yonhap describes the Seoul programme, and it does not say how many other local governments run comparable schemes.
- Whether the ministry guidance requires local governments to pay living expenses or only permits them to. Yonhap writes that the ministry guides local governments to support the costs, while Dong-A Ilbo writes that the guide allows them to be supported, leaving the obligation unclear.
- What the Seoul Shinmun headline's “40%↑” refers to. The headline indicates a rise above 40%, but no document provides a comparison with an earlier period.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Seoul Shinmun publishes a report on foreign children under public protection missing living and medical support. [ 1 ]
- Yonhap publishes the ministry data and Green Umbrella's analysis, including the 43.6% and 61.5% figures. [ 2 ]
- Dong-A Ilbo reports the same figures and the difference in support by nationality and place of residence. [ 3 ]