Seoul, Dec 3
South Korea's presidential committee on population policy on Tuesday unveiled plans to have up to 70 per cent of fathers take parental leave by 2030 as the government intensifies efforts to tackle the nation's pressing demographic challenges.
The figure would mark a sharp increase from just 6.8 per cent recorded in 2022, according to the Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy.
The rate for mothers stood at 70 per cent in the same year.
The data represents the ratio of people who take parental leave among eligible workers with children aged eight or younger.
The latest announcement comes amid anticipated changes in the parental leave policy starting next year.
Currently, both mothers and fathers can each take up to one year of parental leave, which can be divided into three periods.
Starting in February, however, if both parents take at least three months of leave, each parent's total leave period can be extended to 18 months, which can be split into four periods.
Also, the cap on compensation for parents taking time off from work will be raised to 2.5 million won ($1,782) a month from the current 1.5 million won for the first three months of their leave.