Family policy in South Korea: Development, implementation, and evaluation

This chapter describes the sociohistoric context of Korean families and the policymaking process of family policy in South Korea (officially the Republic of Korea, Korea hereafter). Until very recently, Korean families, influenced by Confucianism, have been the primary safety net and care providers with little or no assistance from the government. Recent demographic changes including low fertility, an increasingly aging population, a decrease in marriage, and an increase in divorce and transnational marriages have all contributed to social problems which need a more comprehensive and universal family policy. Major amendments to the marriage law in the Civil Law have eliminated a traditional patriarchal headship system of the family and provided equal opportunity for male and female household headship. This law has also been amended to require divorcing couples to have a period of consideration and to come to a financial settlement for child support. In addition, there have been significant improvements in the family-work balance policy and elderly policy. The newly legislated Framework Act on Healthy Families and the Multicultural Family Support Act provide strength-based and preventive family programs and services to families. Special services for families at risk have been expanded to include low-income families, single parents, and families who have members with special needs or who struggle with domestic violence. Based on these achievements, we can conclude that significant progress in family policy has been made during the last 10 years in Korea. Nevertheless, family policy should continue to develop and be more carefully designed and implemented to encourage men to be more engaged in family life and to shift the strong Korean work-oriented culture to a more family-oriented culture. Furthermore, an evidence-based policy should be sought to encourage positive effects and outcomes.