SEOUL: For generations, child labour in Korea had a recognisable face.
It was the elementary school student mobilised for farm work during Japan’s colonial rule.
The teenage girl bent over sewing machines in textile and wig factories during the country’s rapid industrialisation.
The boy spending long hours in workshops instead of classrooms to help support his family.
Those images helped shape a national understanding that child labour belonged to another era.
Today, South Korea is one of the world’s largest economies.
Children are no longer widely expected to toil in factories or fields.
Child labour, many assume, has largely disappeared.
Yet, on most evenings, after classes end and her classmates head to cram schools or meet friends, 19-year-old Ka-young, a pseudonym, begins “working”.
The eldest of six children, Ka-young returns home to prepare dinner, pick up her younger siblings from school, supervise homework, clean the house, and help care for younger brothers and sisters, two of whom have developmental or intellectual disabilities.
Her father comes home only once every few months, while her mother spends most of the day working to support the family.
By the time the younger children are asleep, it is often past 10pm.
Across South Korea, thousands of children and young adults spend hours each day caring for disabled parents, sick grandparents or younger siblings, often sacrificing friendships, education and future opportunities in the process.
Their work is unpaid, largely invisible and frequently viewed as an act of filial duty rather than a social problem.
On World Day Against Child Labour, advocates say the challenge facing South Korea is no longer only about keeping children out of workplaces. It is also about recognising the labour some children perform inside the home.
Such children are often described as “young carers” or “family caregiving youth” – children and young adults who provide regular care for family members with illnesses, disabilities or age-related conditions.
The burden begins far earlier than many people realise.
A government-commissioned study released in 2025 estimated that between 17,647 and 31,322 children under the age of 13 may be caring for family members or taking on significant household responsibilities nationwide.
Researchers found that many routinely washed dishes, cleaned homes, prepared meals, cared for siblings and, in some cases, helped with farm work.
The burden often falls on children in some of the country’s most economically vulnerable households.
The study found that average annual household income among families with caregiving children aged six to 12 was around 22.2 million won (S$18,700), less than a third of the average income of households with children overall.
A nationwide survey conducted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in 2022 showed that young carers aged 14 to 34 spent an average of 21.6 hours per week providing care.
The average caregiving period stretched to nearly four years.
The survey also pointed to severe mental health risks. More than 61 per cent reported symptoms of depression, more than seven times higher than the rate among the general youth population.
Experts say one of the greatest challenges is that caregiving children’s situations are difficult to detect.
Unlike traditional forms of child labour, their work takes place inside private homes.
Unlike child workers of previous generations, they are often celebrated rather than identified as vulnerable.
“They become adults far too early,” Hwang Young-ki, the chairperson of child welfare organisation ChildFund Korea, told The Korea Herald.
“There are children who spend their days caring for family members and trying to balance survival with education. Family-caregiving children have remained outside institutional support systems for a long time.”
Hwang said children can quickly become default caregivers when illness, disability or financial hardship disrupts family life.
For decades, many caregiving children were viewed through the lens of filial piety.
“They were often praised as devoted sons or daughters,” Hwang said. “But that perception also left them in a blind spot.”
Child welfare advocates increasingly argue that caregiving should be recognised as a form of labour when it deprives children of opportunities for education, rest, social relationships and healthy development.
Hwang said caregiving children commonly experience three forms of hardship.
“The first is emotional distress, including stress, anxiety and an overwhelming sense of responsibility,” he said. “The second is disruption to education and peer relationships because caregiving consumes so much time. The third is the loss of opportunities for play, rest and personal growth.”
Experts acknowledge that South Korea still does not know exactly how many caregiving children live in the country.
The government estimates that roughly 200,000 young people nationwide may be caring for family members. But data on children and adolescents remains limited, and the figures remain estimates rather than verified counts.
Lee Soo-young, a researcher at the Seoul Welfare Foundation, said the lack of reliable statistics has made it difficult to develop effective policies.
“At present, there is insufficient data to accurately estimate the number of family caregiving children and adolescents,” she said.
Lee added that policymakers must move beyond viewing caregiving solely as an issue affecting individual children.
“What is needed is case management at the household level that considers both the child and the family member receiving care,” she said.
Current support systems are often tied to welfare eligibility criteria, leaving many struggling families without assistance despite clear needs.
“Many children receive support only in relation to education,” Lee said. “If the family does not meet eligibility requirements, they can still be excluded from assistance despite experiencing economic hardship.”
Chung Ik-joong, a professor at Ewha Womans University, said clearer definitions and outreach efforts were also necessary.
“People need to be able to recognise themselves as eligible for support,” Chung said. “Without clear standards regarding who qualifies and what constitutes family caregiving, many children and young people may not even realise help is available.”
He also called for a more integrated support system capable of addressing caregiving challenges across entire households, rather than dividing responsibilities among agencies based on age.
In February 2025, the National Assembly passed the Act on Supporting Children and Young Adults in Family Care and Other Crisis Situations, establishing a legal framework for identifying and supporting children and young adults burdened by caregiving responsibilities.
The law, which took effect in March after a one-year preparation period, requires authorities to identify vulnerable children and young adults, develop case management plans, and provide support ranging from psychological counseling to educational and employment assistance.
For advocates who have spent years raising awareness of caregiving children, the legislation represents a significant shift.
“For the first time, South Korea has formally recognised that the issue is not merely a private family matter, but a public responsibility,” said representative Seo Mi-hwa, who proposed the act.
Yet, many caution that legislation alone will not solve the problem.
“The challenge now is ensuring that children are identified before they fall through the cracks and that support reaches families before caregiving responsibilities become children’s burdens,” Chung said. - The Korea Herald/ANN
