Starting from the 23rd, the parental leave period will be extended from the current 1 year to a maximum of 1 year and 6 months. If both parents take parental leave, they will be able to use a total of 3 years of parental leave.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor noted on the 11th that it had reviewed and approved the presidential decree for the three laws supporting parental leave, which includes the 'Equal Employment Opportunity Act,' the 'Employment Insurance Act,' and the 'Labor Standards Act,' during the Cabinet meeting.
Accordingly, starting from the 23rd of this month, the parental leave period will be extended from 1 year to 1 year and 6 months. This applies when couples take parental leave for more than 3 months. Additionally, the number of times the leave can be taken in two parts will also increase from 2 times to 3 times. The parental leave allowance during the extended period is up to 1.6 million won.
Single parents or parents of children with severe disabilities can extend their parental leave period by 6 months without these conditions. Severe disabilities refer to children who fall under the category of 'severe disabilities' according to the 'Enforcement Rules of the Welfare of Persons with Disabilities Act.'
Maternity leave will also be slightly increased. In cases where a premature baby is hospitalized in a neonatal intensive care unit after birth, the leave will be extended from the current 90 days to 100 days. A premature baby is defined as a newborn born before 37 weeks of pregnancy or an infant weighing less than 2.5 kg (as specified in the Enforcement Decree of the Maternal and Child Health Act) who is admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit within 24 hours of birth.
The leave period for early pregnancy miscarriage or stillbirth up to 11 weeks of pregnancy will be extended from the current 5 days to 10 days. This is in consideration of the increasing trend of miscarriages and stillbirths due to the rise in advanced maternal age.
A representative from the Ministry of Employment and Labor said, 'The support system for work-family balance during pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare is expected to substantially expand, helping to alleviate the burden of childbirth and childcare for working parents.'