Parental Leave Protections Still Elusive for Many South Korean Workers (Yonhap)
SEOUL, June 2 (Korea Bizwire) – Despite legal protections for maternity and parental leave in South Korea, new data reveals that many workers—particularly non-regular employees—continue to face pressure and retaliation for attempting to exercise these rights.
The labor advocacy group Gapjil 119 on Sunday disclosed 58 cases of workplace mistreatment related to childbirth and parenting over the past year. One reported case involved a woman who said she was urged to resign after informing her employer of her pregnancy. “They told me I’d be laid off anyway, and pressured me to sign a resignation letter they had prepared,” she said.
In a nationwide survey of 1,000 employed adults conducted by Global Research in February at the request of Gapjil 119, 42.4% of respondents said they do not feel free to take parental leave, while 36.6% said the same about maternity leave.
The situation is particularly stark for non-regular workers, among whom 52.3% said they could not freely take parental leave, and 46.5% reported restrictions on using maternity leave—rates over 15 percentage points higher than those for regular employees.
The findings suggest a persistent gap between labor law and its implementation at workplaces.
“The current system still fails to meaningfully reach many job sites,” said Kim Se-ok, an activist with Gapjil 119. “The next administration must craft and enforce integrated policies focused on workplace democracy and gender equity.”
The data adds to growing calls for South Korea’s new government, formed in 2025, to address systemic inequalities facing working parents, especially those in precarious employment.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
