From the 18th, Male Employees Can Take Parental Leave During Spouse's Pregnancy...New Leave Introduced for Miscarriage or Stillbirth

Starting on September 18, male employees will be permitted to take parental leave while their spouse is pregnant, and, in the event of miscarriage or stillbirth, will be allowed up to five days of leave.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced that it would officially implement the "Three Types of Spousal Support" from September 18 to expand male participation in caregiving from early pregnancy through the postnatal period.

First, a new system will allow male employees to take parental leave during their spouse's pregnancy. Previously, parental leave was only available after the birth of a child, but going forward, if the pregnant spouse faces health risks such as miscarriage or preterm labor, male employees will be able to take parental leave to provide care even before the child's birth.

To use this system, applications must be submitted at least seven days prior to the desired start date of the leave. The time used will be deducted from the existing parental leave entitlement, but will not count towards the limit on the number of times leave can be split.

The period during which a male employee can use spousal childbirth leave will also be expanded. Moving forward, male employees may use leave from 50 days before their spouse's expected due date until 120 days after childbirth. If an employee submits documentation stating the spouse's (expected) childbirth date and the desired leave dates, the employer must grant 20 days of leave within this period.

Leave is also being established for male employees whose spouse experiences a miscarriage or stillbirth. If requested within 20 days from the day of the miscarriage or stillbirth, employees can receive up to five days of leave (with the first three days paid). Even if the event occurs before the effective date of September 18, as long as there are still days remaining in the 20-day claim period, leave applications may be submitted.

Employees at small and medium-sized enterprises designated as priority support businesses will receive spousal miscarriage or stillbirth leave pay at 100% of their ordinary wage for the paid leave period (up to KRW 252,630 for three days). If miscarriage or stillbirth occurs while the employee is already on spousal childbirth leave, the existing leave can be ended and replaced with miscarriage or stillbirth leave for up to five days; support will also be provided if, in the case of a multiple pregnancy, one fetus is lost due to miscarriage or stillbirth.

Jo Jeongsuk, Director of Employment Support Policy at the Ministry of Employment and Labor, emphasized, "With the implementation of this Three Types of Spousal Support, male involvement in childcare from pregnancy through birth will be further expanded," adding, "We will continue to seek ways to reduce the burden of balancing work and childcare for all working parents."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.