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Principles of Public Assistance

🤝 Social Welfare By CampusDown Wiki Editorial Team Last updated
Quick answer: public assistance is tax-funded, means-tested support that guarantees a minimum standard of living to people in need, built on principles such as state responsibility, equality and subsidiarity.
Contents
  1. 1. Six principles
  2. 2. Operating rules
  3. 3. Versus social insurance
  4. 4. Korea
  5. 5. References

Six principles

  • Right to subsistence: realising the constitutional right to a humane life (Korean Constitution art. 34)
  • State responsibility for relieving poverty
  • Minimum standard: a healthy and culturally decent minimum
  • Equality: anyone meeting the criteria is protected regardless of the cause of poverty
  • Subsidiarity: own income, assets, work capacity, family support and other benefits are used first, and assistance fills the gap
  • Self-reliance: helping recipients become self-supporting

Operating rules

Application with ex officio protection, individualisation, the household as the unit and cash benefits first are common rules. Means testing can create stigma and leave people uncovered.

Versus social insurance

Social insurance pays contributors as of right when a risk occurs and is funded by premiums. Public assistance is funded by taxes, requires no contributions and targets need through means testing, so it redistributes more.

Korea

The 1961 Livelihood Protection Act was replaced by the National Basic Livelihood Security Act (1999), which made benefits a right regardless of work capacity. The 2015 reform set separate thresholds for livelihood, medical, housing and education benefits based on median income, and family support obligation rules were phased out for education (2015), housing (2018) and most livelihood benefits (2021).

References

  1. 국민기초생활보장법(법률 제6024호, 1999. 9. 7. 제정).
  2. 보건복지부. (2025). 『국민기초생활보장사업안내』. 보건복지부.
  3. Gilbert, N., & Terrell, P. (2013). Dimensions of Social Welfare Policy (8th ed.). Pearson.
  4. 김태성, 성경륭. (2014). 『복지국가론』(개정판). 나남.

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This article was last updated on October 15, 2026. It is based on widely recognized original works and textbooks; when citing it in a paper, please check the original sources listed in the references.