South Korea's National Assembly passed an amendment to the Child Allowance Act on Wednesday, raising the eligibility age and providing additional payments to children in non-metropolitan and depopulated areas. The ruling bloc led the passage.
The amendment gradually extends child allowance eligibility from the current age of 8 to under 13 by 2030. Children residing outside the Seoul metropolitan area will receive an additional 5,000 won ($3.50) monthly.
Among designated depopulation zones, children in 49 "priority areas" including Gapyeong County in Gyeonggi Province will receive an extra 10,000 won monthly. Those in 40 "special areas" including Yanggu County in Gangwon Province will receive an additional 20,000 won.
The bill was originally scheduled for a vote on January 3 after the opposition People Power Party announced plans to conduct filibusters on each bill.
However, the situation changed abruptly when PPP floor leader Song Eon-seok held a press briefing Wednesday afternoon announcing the party would halt its filibuster to facilitate passage of the Daegu-North Gyeongsang integration special law.
The filibuster on the National Referendum Act amendment, which began at 8:35 p.m. the previous day, ended at 3:46 p.m. Wednesday. The PPP subsequently announced it would also end filibusters on the Jeonnam-Gwangju integration special law, Local Autonomy Act amendment, and Child Allowance Act amendment.
This concluded the five-night, six-day filibuster that began December 24 when the PPP protested the Democratic Party's unilateral passage of contentious bills including judicial reform legislation.
Despite the PPP ending its filibuster, the Democratic Party proceeded with votes on already-tabled bills without convening the Legislation and Judiciary Committee. The PPP boycotted the plenary session in protest, and the bills passed under ruling bloc leadership.