Public Services Are Not Enough... 'Idolbom' Measures Trapped in the National Assembly

Calls for Institutionalizing the Private Childcare Market
Bill Subcommittee Meeting Scheduled After 8 Months Canceled
Livelihood Delayed by Political Conflict, 'Idolbom Support Act'

Institutionalization efforts to support the rapidly increasing demand for childcare, which is becoming difficult to handle through public services alone, are being delayed. This is because legislation to establish grounds for managing and supporting private childcare services, which currently fall outside the legal framework, has not even been discussed due to conflicts between the ruling and opposition parties. Related agencies, including the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, are urging the legislature to expedite the process.

According to industry sources on the 23rd, livelihood and welfare bills under the jurisdiction of the National Assembly's Gender Equality and Family Committee, including the Childcare Support Act, have once again been stalled. This is due to the cancellation of the Gender Equality and Family Committee's bill review subcommittee meeting scheduled for that day amid disagreements between the parties. A Democratic Party official from the committee stated, "We planned to hold a meeting this morning, but there was a request to adjust the schedule and disagreements, leading to a breakdown. No future schedule has been discussed." A People Power Party official explained, "We intended to submit the agenda after consultations between the parties, but due to disagreements over priorities, no agreement was reached."

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The government-supported childcare service is a service where caregivers visit homes with children aged 12 or under to provide care. Although demand is high among dual-income couples and others, the number of caregivers is limited, so applicants must overcome a long waiting list before using the service. In fact, from 2020 over three years, the number of households using childcare services increased by about 20,000, from 59,963 to 78,212, but the number of caregivers only rose by about 2,000, from 24,469 to 26,675 during the same period. Complaints about waiting for months after applying for childcare services can easily be found on mom cafes and other online communities.

Accordingly, there have been calls for institutionalization of private childcare services, which already have a large market. However, in the case of private companies, there are concerns about professionalism and other issues because caregivers' identities cannot be forcibly verified.

To address these issues, a revision bill to the Childcare Support Act has been proposed to strengthen the public nature of private childcare providers. The bill includes provisions to introduce a national qualification system for caregivers to enhance professionalism and reliability, and to establish a registration system for service providers, enabling management and support of private institutions.

However, the Gender Equality and Family Committee has not held a bill subcommittee meeting for eight months since June 28 of last year. The committee has been closed due to repeated conflicts over issues such as the Jamboree responsibility debate, ministerial hearing disruptions, and the alternating chairmanship between ruling and opposition parties last summer.

As a result, livelihood bills including the Childcare Support Act have not even had the opportunity for discussion. The Child Support Enforcement Act amendment is one such bill. It contains alternatives such as strengthening legal support for disputes and allowing disclosure of names to improve the low enforcement rate of child support payments. Twenty-seven such bills have been proposed in the 21st National Assembly.

The School Out-of-School Youth Support Act amendment aims to establish legal grounds for supporting out-of-school youth at the education office level. Including these, a total of 323 bills are currently pending in the National Assembly's Gender Equality and Family Committee as of the afternoon of the previous day.

The problem is that these bills may be indefinitely delayed amid the so-called "general election political climate." Both parties are expected to begin the candidate nomination process in earnest from the end of this month ahead of the April 10 general election. A Ministry of Gender Equality and Family official urged the prompt passage of these bills, saying, "There are several urgent bills related to welfare for vulnerable groups such as the Childcare Support Act."