Chang Cheol-min, a lawmaker of the Democratic Party of Korea [provided by the lawmaker's office]
Chang Cheol-min, a lawmaker of the Democratic Party of Korea [provided by the lawmaker's office]

Chang Cheol-min, a Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker representing Daejeon's Dong-gu, said Monday he had introduced a bill to improve the working conditions and compensation of integrated case managers, filing the amendment to the Act on the Use and Provision of Social Security Benefits and the Search for Eligible Recipients.

According to Chang, integrated case managers play a central role on the frontlines of community welfare — directly identifying people who fall through the cracks of the social safety net, providing multifaceted counseling and intervention tailored to crisis situations, and connecting clients to a dense network of public and private welfare services.

Under current law, however, provisions cover only the qualifications and duties of integrated case managers, with no explicit legal basis for their compensation, benefits or welfare — a gap that critics inside and outside the political arena have consistently flagged as an obstacle to securing a stable workforce.

The bill would require the Ministry of Health and Welfare to set standards for integrated case managers' compensation, pay and benefits through ministerial ordinance, and would mandate that the minister conduct an annual survey of their working conditions. The measure aims to establish a systematic mechanism for regularly assessing and improving conditions in the field, with the broader goal of raising the quality of social welfare services.

"The working conditions of integrated case managers — who stand at the very frontline of welfare — must not themselves become a blind spot," Chang said. "A sustainable welfare system will only be possible when we guarantee working environments that match the responsibility and expertise the job demands."


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