Seeking Balance, South Korea Expands Family Leave and Workplace Protections (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jan. 30 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s National Assembly on Thursday approved a series of labor law revisions aimed at easing short-term child care burdens on working parents and strengthening workplace safety standards, the Labor Ministry said.
Under the new measures, employees with children aged 8 or younger — or up to the second grade of elementary school — will be allowed to take short-term parental leave in one- or two-week increments once a year. Until now, parental leave could be used only in blocks of at least one month.
The change is designed to help families manage brief care gaps caused by school closures, vacations or a child’s illness. Time taken under the short-term leave system will be deducted from an employee’s existing parental leave entitlement. The measure will take effect six months after promulgation.
Lawmakers also passed amendments to the Occupational Safety and Health Act, expanding corporate disclosure and oversight requirements in response to persistent concerns over industrial accidents.
Beginning in August, companies above a certain size will be required to publicly disclose annual data on workplace fatalities, accident trends, prevention measures and safety-related investment through a newly established safety disclosure system.
The scope of accident investigations will also widen. While inquiries were previously limited to major industrial disasters, authorities will now investigate additional cases — including fires, explosions and structural collapses — where analysis is deemed necessary to prevent future accidents. The expanded rule will apply to workplace accidents occurring after Dec. 1.
As Korea Battles Low Birthrates, Parental Leave Remains Uneven (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
From June, investigation reports detailing accident causes and prevention measures will be made public once criminal indictments are filed.
The legislation further strengthens worker participation in safety oversight. Employee representatives will be allowed to recommend honorary industrial safety inspectors, who will be appointed by the labor minister and permitted to join official workplace inspections. Worker participation in risk assessments will also be guaranteed, with fines imposed on employers who fail to conduct mandatory evaluations or omit required procedures.
In addition, lawmakers approved revisions to expand government wage guarantee payments for employees at bankrupt companies, increasing coverage from the final three months of unpaid wages and severance pay to six months. Changes to industrial accident insurance rules were also passed to better protect injured workers’ rights to benefits.
Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon said the government would move quickly to ensure the new laws take root in workplaces nationwide, adding that follow-up measures would be implemented carefully to support broader livelihood-related reforms.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
