Seoul makes mandatory 10-day paternity leave for male workers

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has mandated that male employees take 10 days of paternity leave starting this month. The city government will recommend in writing that employees eligible for childcare leave use it every year and will establish regulations prohibiting any disadvantages in personnel matters resulting from taking childcare leave.

The city government announced on Thursday the implementation of a "Work-Life Balance 3-Piece Set," which includes mandatory use of spousal childbirth leave, creating a favorable atmosphere for taking childcare leave, and 3) recommending a reduction in working hours during childcare. The city headquarters will implement these measures starting from Thursday, while the city's 26 investment and affiliated institutions will apply them from September. The city plans to further promote the adoption of these measures in private companies in the future.

“The purpose is to actively promote the use of the current legally guaranteed maternity and paternity protection system by employers to enhance its activation," a city official explained.

Firstly, the city is introducing mandatory use of spousal childbirth leave, the first in the public sector, including the central and local governments. When a spouse gives birth, 10 days of leave will automatically be granted to employees without needing them to apply. This is a measure to address the issue of many cases where employees do not properly apply for childbirth leave due to corporate cultural rigidity, as pointed out by the Equal Employment Opportunity Act.

The city also aims to promote childcare leave further. Recommendations will be made in writing every year to pregnant female employees and employees with children under the age of 8 or in elementary school up to the second grade to use childcare leave freely. In addition, regulations will be established to prohibit any personnel disadvantages resulting from childcare leave, and educational programs will be provided to support the reintegration of employees returning from childcare leave.

Furthermore, parents will be annually recommended through written guidance to actively use the "Reduced Working Hours for Childcare" system. In the second half of this year, the city plans to create the "Seoul Standard Regulations for Work-Life Balance," which will consolidate various laws and regulations that are scattered throughout but with unclear application methods and procedures.


4g1@donga.com