Sanitary pads, an essential item for women, are reportedly among the most expensive in South Korea compared to 38 OECD countries. When it became known that some female adolescents were resorting to substitutes like shoe insoles due to their inability to afford sanitary pads, the government and local municipalities launched the ‘Female Adolescent Sanitary Product Support Program’ in 2016.

However, according to a 2024 case study by the Women’s Environmental Network on the ‘Female Adolescent Sanitary Product Support Program,’ the study found that 38.5% of respondents were unaware of their household income and therefore did not know if they qualified for support, while 29.2% faced economic difficulties but were not eligible for assistance. These findings reveal that many adolescents remain in blind spots.