Female Adolescent Menstrual Product Support Program to Provide Full Annual Subsidy Regardless of Application Date

Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Simplifies Application Process and Expands Benefits

Going forward, female adolescents will receive the full annual subsidy of 168,000 won for menstrual products, regardless of when they apply for the support program during the year.

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced on December 26 that, starting next year, the application process for the menstrual product support program for female adolescents will become more convenient and the benefits will be expanded.

Signboard replacement work is in full swing at the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, Government Seoul Office, Jongno-gu, Seoul. 2025.9.30 Photo by Jo Yongjun

This improvement aims to address the inconvenience and fairness issues in the application process for menstrual products and to enhance the effectiveness of guaranteeing the basic right to health for female adolescents.

The ministry explained that, until now, the subsidy for menstrual products was calculated and paid monthly from the month of application. However, starting next year, applicants will receive the full annual subsidy of 168,000 won regardless of when they apply during the year.

In addition, the process will be streamlined so that when applying for a menstrual product voucher at a community center or through the Bokjiro platform, applicants can simultaneously apply for the National Happiness Card.

Previously, after applying for menstrual product support, applicants had to visit a card company or use a call center or the internet to separately obtain the National Happiness Card in order to purchase menstrual products. Starting next year, if applicants agree to provide their personal information for a consultation call when applying for menstrual product support, the card company will verify their information through a consultation call and issue a physical card.

The beneficiaries of the menstrual product voucher program are female adolescents aged 9 to 24 who are recipients of livelihood, medical, housing, or education benefits under the National Basic Living Security Act, those in legally recognized low-income groups, and those in households eligible for support under the Single-Parent Family Support Act. Applications can be submitted by the adolescent or their guardian by visiting a local administrative welfare center, or through the Bokjiro website or app.

Minister Won Minkyoung of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family stated, "We expect that by simplifying the application process and changing the annual subsidy payment method, the convenience of using menstrual products will improve and the actual benefits will increase." She added, "We will continue to address user inconveniences so that female adolescents can easily use the menstrual product vouchers, and we will expand the number of locations where the vouchers can be used."