In the future, self-employed individuals living in Seoul and operating stores in other regions will be able to receive 800,000 won in spousal maternity leave benefits.
The Seoul City government noted on the 12th that it has relaxed the qualification requirements for spousal maternity leave benefits for male self-employed individuals and freelancers.
The spousal maternity leave benefits for self-employed individuals and freelancers is a program that provides 800,000 won when a spouse gives birth. Generally, employees are legally guaranteed 20 days of maternity leave when their spouse gives birth. However, there has been no separate support for self-employed individuals and freelancers.
To compensate for income loss due to temporary closures and hiring replacement workers, the Seoul City government has been implementing this program since March. By May, a total of 426 self-employed individuals and freelancers received the benefits.
The recent relaxation of qualification requirements centers on abolishing the Seoul residency requirement for the birthing spouse and the business site location requirement for self-employed individuals.
Previously, both the beneficiary and the birthing spouse, along with the newborn child, had to reside in Seoul according to their registered addresses to apply for the benefits. In the future, even if the birthing spouse resides in another region, support will still be available. This change comes in response to citizens' requests to allow support even when the registered residences of the beneficiary and the spouse differ.
Furthermore, self-employed individuals, regardless of where their business sites are located, will be able to receive support as long as they reside in Seoul. This is based on the judgment that support eligibility should be determined based on the residence, which is the living base for care and childcare in the household.
Kim Seon-soon, head of the Seoul City Women's and Family Affairs Office, said, "We will continue to examine policies carefully and closely to eliminate blind spots and strive to ensure that citizens can feel the impact."