"Seeking Ordinances, Legislation, and Systems Needed from the Perspective of Youth Exiting Protection and Preparing for Independence"
[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] Park Jumin, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea (Eunpyeong-gu Gap, Seoul), will hold a forum on improving support systems for youth aging out of care and preparing for independence on the 29th.
On the day, Park's office announced in a press release that a presentation and forum on the current status and challenges of support for youth preparing for independence, as well as case studies of such youth, will be held at the policy seminar room of the Eunpyeong-gu Council in Seoul.
With the passage of the alternative bill to the 'Child Welfare Act Amendment' in the National Assembly plenary session in 2021, the Child Welfare Act was revised to allow the extension of the protection period up to age 24 based on the child's wishes. Additionally, customized independence support services are now provided through the operation of dedicated independence support agencies and the deployment of dedicated personnel.
Nevertheless, youth preparing for independence face difficulties in entering university as they must secure tuition and living expenses on their own. Some voices argue that before easing eligibility for basic livelihood security benefits, it is necessary to provide support so that they do not fall outside the scope of basic livelihood security recipients.
According to data from the Child Rights Protection Agency, as of 2021, 24.6% of 2,102 youth preparing for independence entered university, which shows a significant gap compared to the 73.7% university entrance rate of general high school students in Korea. Furthermore, it is confirmed that they are in a disadvantaged position in terms of housing, employment rate, and employment by industry.
Park's office explained that this forum will be an opportunity to show interest in the lives of youth aging out of care and preparing for independence and to confirm the need to play a guiding role so that these youth can live better lives. They added that practical support systems should be discussed to enable youth aging out of care to establish themselves as active members of society after leaving institutional care.
Chairing the forum, Representative Park Jumin said, "Through this forum, I hope we can explore together the necessary ordinances, legislation, and systems from the perspective of youth preparing for independence, ensuring they have opportunities to choose their academic and career paths independently, and that supporting these youth becomes a shared task for all members of our society."
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