South Korea Will Start Giving Free Period Products To Anyone Who Needs Them
The program is an effort by the government to provide all women and girls access to free menstrual products regardless of their income.
South Korea will start giving free period products to anyone who needs them.
Menstrual products in Korea are on average 39% more expensive than those abroad, including in the US, Japan, UK, Singapore, France and Spain, according to the Korean Herald.
The government currently provides vouchers of 14,000 won (or about US$10) to low-income people aged 9 to 24 for them to purchase menstrual products.
On March 10, South Korea’s ministry of gender equality announced it will launch a pilot project to install period product dispensers in public facilities across 10 regions, which will include community centers, libraries, schools and village halls.
The initiative will be trialed from July to December 2026 with the goal of expanding nationwide in 2027.
The program is an effort by the government to provide all women and girls access to free menstrual products regardless of their income.
This is another step in the global effort to reduce “period poverty,” when people cannot access basic sanitary products when they need them.
Period poverty may be due to a variety of factors, from poverty, homelessness, abusive relationships, some health conditions and being transgender.
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