Short-Term Parental Leave for School Breaks and Hospitalizations

Starting on the 20th of this month, parents will be able to take 'short-term parental leave' for one or two weeks if their child experiences a school break or sudden hospitalization. Male workers whose spouses are at risk of miscarriage or preterm birth will also be eligible for parental leave before the child is born.

The government approved these provisions during a cabinet meeting on the 11th, as part of amendments to the 'Gender Equality Employment Act' and the 'Employment Insurance Act.'

This amendment follows the enactment of the Gender Equality Employment Act in February and March and the Employment Insurance Act in March, detailing the specifics mandated by the laws.

Short-term parental leave can be utilized when a child's school or daycare is closed for holidays or emergencies. It also applies if a child is hospitalized due to illness or injury, or is isolated or prohibited from attending school due to an infectious disease.

Employees can take short-term parental leave once per year for each child, in one or two-week increments. If a parent has multiple children, they can use this leave for each child once a year. However, the duration will be deducted from the existing parental leave limit of up to 18 months and does not count towards the number of times parental leave can be split.

To take leave for a school break, parents must generally apply 30 days in advance. In urgent situations, such as sudden school closures or a child's hospitalization, applications can be submitted on the same day the leave begins.

During the short-term parental leave, employees will receive pay. Unlike regular parental leave, which requires a minimum of 30 days to qualify for pay, short-term parental leave can be compensated after using 7 or 14 days. The pay will be calculated based on the same criteria as parental leave, prorated for the days used.

The eligibility for using short-term parental leave once a year will be assessed based on the calendar year from January 1 to December 31. If leave is taken from December 27 to January 2 of the following year, it will count as usage for the current year.

When applying for leave due to a school break, the entire duration of 7 or 14 days must fall within the break period. For closures, hospitalizations, or isolation due to infectious diseases, leave can be taken even if only part of the period overlaps with the reason. Simply using 7 or 14 days of regular parental leave does not qualify as short-term parental leave, and extending leave in single-day increments is not permitted.

The duration of short-term parental leave will also count towards the requirements for extending leave if both parents have taken at least three months of parental leave for the same child.

Starting on the 18th of next month, support for male participation in caregiving during pregnancy and childbirth will also be expanded. Male employees will be able to take parental leave before the birth if their spouse faces health risks such as miscarriage or preterm birth. Applications must be submitted at least seven days before the intended start date of the leave.

The period for using spousal maternity leave will also be extended, allowing it to be taken from 50 days before the expected delivery date up to 120 days after childbirth. During this time, a total of 20 days of paid leave can be taken in up to three segments.

A new provision will allow up to five days of leave for employees whose spouses experience a miscarriage or stillbirth. The first three days will be paid, and employees from priority support companies will receive 100% of their regular wages from the government, with a maximum support amount of 252,630 won for three days.

Employers' grounds for refusing to allow a reduction in working hours for childcare will also be reduced. Previously, employers could deny such requests if they could not find replacement workers, but this reason will be removed for applications submitted after the 18th of next month. Exceptions will only apply if the employee has less than six months of service or if the nature of the work makes it difficult to split hours and would significantly disrupt business operations.