President Lee Jae-myung has criticized the high prices of sanitary pads in South Korea and directed officials to explore free provision policies. The initiative is being called a 'basic sanitary pad' policy, echoing his earlier basic income efforts. Women's groups warn that affordability must not compromise safety.
President Lee Jae-myung has elevated the issue of sanitary pad prices into a key political topic in South Korea. During a policy briefing last month with the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, he instructed officials to investigate why domestic prices exceed those overseas. A May 2023 monitoring report by the Korean Women’s Environmental Network found that South Korean sanitary pads cost about 39 percent more than in foreign markets.
Lee argues that cash subsidies alone fail to curb market prices. "Government handing out subsidies would only help companies ripping off consumers," he said at a Cabinet meeting last month. Instead, he proposed that the state produce low-cost pads meeting basic quality standards and distribute them free to designated recipients.
The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family recently convened an internal meeting to discuss responses, including in-kind distribution, vouchers, and the president's contract-manufacturing model. Under this approach, the government would commission production to meet quality benchmarks and provide pads free of charge.
The Korean Women’s Environmental Network welcomes the attention but notes that safety concerns, alongside raw material costs, drive prices through marketing that exploits health anxieties. "Many consumers, seeking to reduce potential health risks, have turned to organic or eco-friendly ‘premium’ products perceived as safer, ultimately paying more," the group stated. It urges the government to prioritize pads that are both affordable and verifiably safe.
Critics emphasizing market principles, such as the Center for Free Enterprise, caution that free distribution without addressing structural issues like distribution margins and regulations could backfire. "Once the state sets official standards for price and quality, consumers risk becoming passive recipients constrained by those benchmarks," they warn. The network calls for a comprehensive FTC probe into pricing, public disclosure of findings, research on women's usage experiences, and stronger safety oversight for menstrual products.
