Home » Legal developments » National legislation » South Korea: men increasingly utilise paternity leave entitlement South Korea: men increasingly utilise paternity leave entitlement Through . Published on 24 January 2020 à 15h40 - Update on 24 January 2020 à 15h40 Resources The number of male employees in South Korea taking paternity leave reached a new record in 2019, which observers say demonstrates more widespread aspirations in the country to achieve a good work-life balance. According to statistics from the South Korean ministry for employment and labour, published on 22 January, 22,297 fathers working in the private sector took their leave entitlement in 2019. The figure marks a 26.2% increase on the previous year, when another sizeable rise was also recorded. According to the same statistics, the proportion of men who took parental leave last year stood at 21.2% (+6%). More broadly, the country’s government is aiming to energise the push for work-life balance and equality. To this end, it modified the law on leave in August 2019. The change, which came into effect on 1 October 2019, increased paternity leave from five days (the first three days could be paid if eligibility criteria were met) to be taken in the first 30 days following the birth of a child to 10 days of paid leave, to be taken within a period of 90 days. Furthermore, the new law allows a male worker to divide their leave entitlement and take two blocks of time off. The same law extends parental leave (one year which is added to the year already granted) if part of this leave is taken in the form of reduced working hours. Need more info ? Contact mind's on-demand study service Which service do you want to contact :WritingCommercial serviceTechnical SupportFirst name Last name Organization Function email* Object of the message Your messageRGPD J’accepte la politique de confidentialité.NameThis field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Essentials Les dernières publications Supporting parenthood in the workplace: a win-win strategy Supporting employee carers: a CSR challenge Analyzes Les dernières publications Paternity leave: data observations from 41 countries EU: during H1 2022 five EU Member States have raised their minimum salary levels