Key facts
- The justice ministry asked municipalities in late October 2026 to report on multicultural family support programs, legal sources said.
- The ministry is expected to check the findings for possible discrimination, according to the sources.
- Seoul is inspecting 26 programs, including priority daycare slots for multicultural families regardless of income.
- Seoul also runs postpartum care centers that give priority to mothers from multicultural families and persons of national merit.
- Lee said preferential policy leading to reverse discrimination cannot be justified and has doubled down despite criticism.
- South Korea had 451,492 multicultural households, about 1.25 million people, as of last year, per the data ministry.
South Korea's justice ministry asked local municipalities in late October 2026 to look into the status of their support programs for multicultural families, legal sources said, opening a review of whether the programs offer preferential treatment and discriminate against Korean families. Based on the findings, the ministry is expected to check for possible discrimination, according to the sources.
The review followed comments by President Lee Jae Myung. In a social media post in late October 2026, Lee said he would examine whether preferential support programs for multicultural families were necessary. Critics viewed the remarks as inciting division, and Lee has doubled down, saying any preferential policy that leads to reverse discrimination cannot be justified.
The Seoul city government has started inspecting the capital's 26 support programs for multicultural families. They include priority slots at daycare centers for children of such families regardless of household income. The city also runs postpartum care centers that give priority access to mothers from multicultural families and to persons of national merit.
Before the president's comments, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon reportedly instructed city officials to find ways to improve the programs. At a press conference on Thursday, Oh acknowledged the need for policy support and consideration for multicultural families but said programs demanded by many should be more carefully designed.
Multicultural families are a minority of South Korea's population of around 51 million. As of last year, there were 451,492 multicultural households, about 1.25 million people, according to the data ministry.