SOURCE: 정부, 모든 여성에 생리대 지원 추진… "주민센터·보건소 비치"
The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family is launching a pilot project, for the first time in history, to provide sanitary pads in public so that all women can access menstrual products.
On the morning of the 10th, the ministry announced the 'Public Sanitary Pad Dream Pilot Project' (tentative name) at a cabinet meeting held at the Blue House. Previously, support for menstrual product was limited to low-income female youth (aged 9 to 24) through monthly vouchers worth of 14,000 KRW. The new initiative aims to install free sanitary pad vending machines in public facilities, allowing anyone to use them.
Minister Won Minkyung stated, "Considering population size and current conditions, we will select 10 diverse regions for this pilot project." Products will mainly be placed in public facilities like community centers, public health clinics, and family centers. On the other hand, considering the accessibility in rural areas, the products will be supplied to town halls.
The ministry plans to carry out the pilot project this year with approximately 3 billion KRW in national funds. Based on the results, they will organize local budgets to launch the full-scale program next year. Minister Won added, "Considering the symbolism and impact of the first-ever public sanitary pad initiative, cooperation with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and the Public Procurement Service is necessary to ensure safety, select vendors, and manage its contracts." She also requested the Ministry of Education to make sure sanitary pads are available in schools as essential items to support students.
Following President Lee Jaemyung's criticism of sanitary pads being significantly more expensive in South Korea compared to other countries, the industry has responded by lowering prices and releasing ultra-low-cost pads. On this day, the president asked, "The main problem of expensive pads have been resolved, but there seems to be concern regarding safety issues."
In response, Oh Yukyung, Minister of Food and Drug Safety, explained, "When the prices are low, the public worries about safety, but we evaluate the safety of all sanitary pads under the same standard. Since the end of January, we have already received requests to review seven budget-friendly sanitary pads and are reviewing them promptly."
