Anchor: The government has decided to phase out overseas adoption of the nation’s children and to gradually raise the age limit of children eligible to receive monthly child allowance. 
Our Bae Joo-yon has more on the government’s five-year child policy plan that was finalized on Friday.

Report: The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on Friday the government’s updated five-year child policy plan.

Under the plan, the government will first gradually reduce overseas adoption of Korean children with the ultimate goal of putting an end to the practice. 

Last year, a total of 58 Korean children were adopted by parents residing overseas.

In July, the government introduced a public adoption system managed by the central and local governments.

On October 1, South Korea officially became a contracting party to the Hague Intercountry Adoption Convention aimed at safeguarding children's rights in intercountry adoptions. A day after that, President Lee Jae Myung vowed that the state will become the support system for adoptees as he said South Korea once had the bad reputation of being a major “baby exporter.”

In cases where a child's adoption to a foreign country is inevitable, the health ministry will personally consult necessary procedures with its counterparts and related agencies in that country.

Also under the updated child policy plan, the government will gradually expand the monthly child allowance, extending coverage from children under age 8 to those under 13 through 2030. 

The government also plans to give up to 130-thousand won, or some 90 U.S. dollars, in monthly allowance to children who reside in non-metropolitan regions or areas seeing population decline. That’s 30-thousand won, or some 21 dollars, more than the standard child allowance.

Bae Joo-yon, KBS World Radio News.