[Edaily Lee Ji-hyun Reporter Yang Ji-yun ] The Ministry of Health and Welfare is establishing a new “Youth Welfare Policy Division” dedicated to youth welfare policies. The ministry is upgrading its existing Youth Policy Team to a full-fledged division in response to the significant increase in demand for related policies following the institutionalization of support for young caregivers and at-risk children and youth.

As the Lee Jae-myung administration prioritizes youth support as a key policy goal and expands related programs, this move is seen as a way to strengthen the dedicated organizational structure in the welfare sector and accelerate efforts on youth policy.

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on the 1st, the Ministry of Health and Welfare plans to establish a Youth Welfare Policy Division under the Office of Population and Social Services Policy next year. This will involve expanding and reorganizing the currently operating Youth Policy Team into a formal “division”-level organization.

Although the Youth Policy Team was established under the total personnel cost system, it is a regular organizational unit based on the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s enforcement regulations. Currently, the team leader position can be held by a Grade 4 or 5 official and is occupied by a non-position-specific secretary, often referred to as a “Grade 4.5” official. Once the Youth Welfare Policy Division is launched, a Grade 4 division chief will lead the organization, just as in other divisions. One additional Grade 5 staff member will also be assigned, increasing the division’s headcount from the current seven to eight.

This organizational restructuring is interpreted as reflecting the assessment that the importance and role of the welfare sector within youth policy are rapidly growing. While the government’s youth policies have traditionally focused on employment, housing, and asset building, the policy scope has recently expanded into the welfare sector—specifically to identify and support “youth caregivers” who face difficulties in their studies or employment due to family caregiving responsibilities, as well as young people in various crisis situations.

In particular, as the legal framework for supporting youth caregivers and children and youth in crisis is established, the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s workload—including identifying eligible recipients, building support systems, and operating related programs—is expected to increase significantly. Accordingly, the Ministry determined that it would be preferable to establish a formal division dedicated to youth welfare policy rather than relying on an existing team-level structure.

The Ministry’s budget for next year also includes expanded youth support programs. The government is strengthening initiatives to help young people enter society and reduce gaps in the welfare safety net, such as subsidizing the first National Pension premium for 18-year-olds and expanding support systems for isolated and reclusive youth. The establishment of the Youth Welfare Policy Division can be viewed as an organizational restructuring driven by this government-wide trend of strengthening youth policies.

An official from the Ministry of Health and Welfare explained, “Interest in youth policy is growing, and the demand for such policies continues to rise.” The official added, “With the recent enactment of laws related to support for young caregivers and children and youth in crisis, we anticipate a significant increase in our workload; therefore, we determined it necessary to operate a dedicated organization as a formal division.”