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Korean gov't to raise 'paternity bonus' to match standard parental leave pay

Published: 27 May. 2025, 11:51

Visitors browse a variety of childcare products at the 2024 Busan Baby Fair & Early Childhood Education Expo held at Bexco in Haeundae District, Busan, on July 18, 2024. [NEWS1]

The Korean government will raise the so-called paternity bonus — a special parental leave benefit granted to the second parent taking leave — to match the standard parental leave pay, the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced Tuesday.

The ministry said it will hold a 41-day legislative preview for the proposed revision to the Enforcement Decree of the Employment Insurance Act, from Tuesday through July 7.

The paternity bonus, introduced to promote shared child care responsibilities, offered higher payments during the first three months of leave taken by the second parent. The policy was in place temporarily and expired on Dec. 31, 2022.

However, workers who qualified for the bonus and are now taking the remaining portion of their leave receive a lower rate at 50 percent of their ordinary wage, capped at 1.2 million won ($880) per month starting from the fourth month.

This is less than the current standard parental leave benefit, which ranges from 1.6 million to 2 million won per month.

Visitors examine childcare products at the 42nd Daegu Baby & Kids Fair at Exco in Buk District, Daegu, on Nov. 7, 2024. [YONHAP]

To address this discrepancy and ensure fairness, the ministry has decided to raise the paternity bonus leave pay to align with the general parental leave scheme.

Previously, a worker who had used the first three months of leave under the paternity bonus could receive only up to 1.2 million won per month for the remaining 15 months.

Under the new revision, the benefit will increase to a maximum of 2 million won per month for the fourth to sixth months, and 1.6 million won from the seventh month onward — in line with the standard benefits.

The revision will be applied retroactively to any parental leave taken from Jan. 1 this year.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]