Leaving Welfare Does Not Mean Escaping Poverty
More people exit the Basic Livelihood Security system (a state program providing living and medical expenses to those struggling to make ends meet) through death than through increased income from work or employment and business start-ups. This means it is hard to escape poverty even by working hard, underscoring the need for reform. According to data submitted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, as of June 2026, 47,297 people left the program due to death, 7,254 more than the 40,043 who exited due to increased income or employment or business start-ups. Last year as well, 78,014 people left the rolls upon death, exceeding the 66,976 who exited due to income growth and other factors.
A leading cause of this trend is the aging of welfare recipients. Recipients aged 65 or older rose 42.2%, from 852,396 in 2021 to 1,212,262 in 2025, and accounted for 44.4% of all general recipients as of 2025. These figures show the reality that a single pathway out of welfare through work cannot be demanded of people who differ in age, health, labor market experience, and family circumstances. A one-size-fits-all demand for self-reliance does not fit an aging recipient population.
Amid this, self-sufficiency support is shifting toward individually tailored approaches. The Ministry of Health and Welfare launched the first pilot program of its 'reformed tailored self-sufficiency support system' in July 2026. Unlike the previous method, which assigned participants to work programs regardless of their capabilities and set a common goal of employment or start-ups, the new approach sets individual goals and participation pathways based on recipients' self-reliance capacities, such as work ability and willingness to achieve self-sufficiency, as well as their living conditions.
Exiting welfare is not the same as escaping poverty. At a forum on developing the basic security system in January, Health and Welfare Minister Jeong Eun-kyung said, "This is the time to redefine the direction of the Basic Livelihood Security system so that it can faithfully serve as a safety mat for our society." The ministry discussed recipient eligibility criteria and benefit levels at the forum and plans to reflect the outcomes in the Fourth Comprehensive Plan for Basic Livelihood Security. Kim Yun-min, a professor of social welfare at Changwon National University, emphasized that the system's purpose should not be to reduce the number of recipients but to reduce the number of people forced to give up on life due to poverty, and that self-sufficiency support and income security should be pursued together under a single goal.
