Health ministry cuts social security review time to 13.8 days

The health ministry said Thursday it reduced the average processing time for social security system reviews to 13.8 days in the first half of the year, cutting the original 60-day timeline by more than half.

The acceleration followed a policy shift in February designed to resolve administrative delays caused by a surge in new social security proposals and to support local governments in designing systems tailored to regional characteristics. By excluding simple administrative tasks and daily life support projects from the mandatory review process, the volume of consultation requests fell by approximately 40 percent.

Data from February through June shows that 86.5 percent of all review cases were completed within 30 days. Fast-track consultations for standardized projects took an average of 9.2 days, while general reviews required 15.3 days. More than 60 percent of all cases now qualify for either fast-track processing or full exemption. Local governments that utilized pre-consultation services achieved an approval rate exceeding 95 percent, with an average satisfaction score of 4.5 out of 5.

Building on these results, the ministry plans to expand the list of exempted projects in the second half of the year. Categories such as support for socially isolated individuals, student commuting assistance, and eco-friendly energy subsidies will be removed from the review requirement entirely. Additionally, standard models for postpartum care support and youth artificial intelligence subscription subsidies will be added to the fast-track system, ensuring processing within 30 days. Specific details of the expanded measures will be finalized in August and communicated to local administrations.

Lim Hye-seong, secretary-general of the Social Security Committee, said the government has transformed its function from control and approval to consultation and support to strengthen local autonomy. "We will continue to broaden the scope of fast-track and exempted categories based on feedback from local governments," Lim said, adding that the ministry will sustain policy consulting to address new project demands following local elections.