Why the initiative of free childcare failed to be an effective policy implementation of universal childcare in South Korea

ABSTRACT The paper is aimed at exploring how the meaning of universal free childcare was communicated during the first policy initiation process in 2012. In order to do so, interpretative policy analysis was utilised as a methodological approach, whilst relevant policy documents and in-depth interviews were used for data collection. I argue that failings occurred because the policy implementation was placed on the agenda with a lack of commitment to increasing the number of public childcare centres, as well as disengagement from understanding the gender relations necessary for delivering universal childcare effectively.