Seoul weighs expansion of 300,000-won grandchild care allowance for grandparents

The Seoul Metropolitan Government says it held a grandparent caregiver roundtable at City Hall on the 12th to share experiences with the Seoul-type Grandchild Care Allowance. A total of 46 people attended, including 13 recipients selected in a memoir contest held last month.

The program, which began in September 2023, provides a monthly stipend of 300,000 won to grandparents or other caregivers who look after grandchildren aged 24 to 36 months. It is designed to support informal caregiving within families.

At the meeting, attendees shared personal experiences. One grandparent said caregiving brings great joy but also various burdens, and that participating in the program helped lessen those burdens.

Seoul will operate a Healing Day later this year, offering outings to major city attractions to help caregivers who may be fatigued from their duties.

Officials said they are exploring expansion of the program, including extending eligibility to more families and relaxing income criteria, through consultations on changes to the social security system.

Applications for the allowance are accepted through the Birth and Parenting All-in-One Information Portal from the 1st to the 15th of each month, with eligibility determined by a single initial application prior to caregiving start.

Ma Chae-suk, head of the Seoul City Women and Family Affairs Office, noted that as the program enters its third year, it is intended to provide some financial assistance to grandparents engaged in twilight parenting and to give caregivers added peace of mind while raising children.

Why this matters beyond Korea: Seoul’s approach reflects how a major city is directly subsidizing informal family caregivers to support work participation and child development without immediate expansion of formal daycare. For the United States, the program illustrates a local-government tool to alleviate caregiver burdens, potentially influencing discussions on family-friendly policies, workplace participation, and urban social welfare budgets in American cities. It also highlights how demographic pressures—an aging population paired with low birthrates—are prompting targeted cash supports to families, a model that could inform policy debates on eldercare, childcare, and social safety nets in other high-income economies.