Family & childcare
Korea introduces short-term parental leave of one or two weeks, available from 20 August 2026
Amendments to the enforcement decrees of the Equal Employment Act and the Employment Insurance Act were approved by the Cabinet on 11 August 2026 and took effect on 20 August. Workers can now take parental leave in a single block of one or two weeks, once a year, when a child needs concentrated care because of school holidays, a sudden closure, or hospitalisation after illness or an accident. Parental leave benefit can be paid for that period.
What changes
Parental leave in Korea has effectively been a months-long instrument. If nobody could look after a child during a two-week school break, parents had to burn annual leave or take unpaid time off. Now, once a year, a worker can request short-term parental leave of one or two weeks. The qualifying reasons are a closure, suspension of classes or a school holiday at the child's institution, or hospitalisation from the child's illness or an accident, where concentrated care is needed.
The notice period depends on the reason. Foreseeable reasons such as a school holiday require an application 30 days in advance. For urgent reasons such as a sudden closure or a child's hospitalisation, leave can be requested to start the same day. Predictable scheduling and emergencies are treated differently on purpose.
How the time is counted matters. Days used as short-term parental leave are deducted from the overall parental leave entitlement of up to 18 months. They do not, however, count toward the limit on how many separate blocks you may split that entitlement into, so using it once does not cost you a future split. The period also counts when assessing the extension condition that each parent uses at least three months. Parental leave benefit may be paid during it.
Who this applies to
- Any worker entitled to parental leave under the Equal Employment Act, that is, anyone with a child within the qualifying age. Both parents hold the right separately.
- Dual-income households that just about cope during term time and fall apart every school holiday are the most direct beneficiaries.
- Nationality is irrelevant to the right itself. Article 6 of the Labor Standards Act prohibits discrimination in working conditions on grounds of nationality, so foreign workers can request short-term parental leave on the same terms.
- The benefit is a separate question. Parental leave benefit is paid from employment insurance, and for workers on the E-9 non-professional employment and H-2 working visit statuses under the employment permit system, the unemployment benefit and parental leave benefit chapters of employment insurance apply only where a separate enrolment application has been made. Without that application you may be able to take the leave but not receive the payment.
- Employers need to check that their work rules and attendance systems can record leave in one- and two-week blocks. Because some requests can start the same day, approval workflows have to move quickly.
What to do now
- 1Put the next school holiday in your calendar and mark the date 30 days before it as your application deadline. Holiday-based requests need 30 days' notice, so missing it means missing that break.
- 2Decide between one week and two. You cannot stretch or shorten it by a day, so count the actual days of care you need before choosing.
- 3Make clear to your employer that this is not the same as taking seven or fourteen days of ordinary parental leave. You have to apply for it as short-term parental leave to be covered by the new rules.
- 4Check your employment insurance status before counting on the money. Foreign workers should ask the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service on 1588-0075 how their status of stay is covered and whether unemployment and parental leave benefit enrolment is in place.
- 5If your employer refuses or will not explain the process, call the Ministry of Employment and Labor counselling centre on 1350. Foreign-language counselling is available.
- 6Employers should prepare an application form and a same-day approval route in advance, and agree how the absent worker's tasks will be shared.
Commonly misunderstood
- It is limited to once a year. This is not a tool you can reach for every holiday, so choose the moment carefully.
- The new leave is not extra time on top. It comes out of the overall 18-month parental leave entitlement.
- Taking seven or fourteen days of ordinary parental leave does not count as short-term parental leave. The application itself has to be made under the new provision.
- The right to take the leave and the right to be paid for it are separate. Failing the employment insurance conditions can leave the period unpaid.
- Do not confuse it with reduced working hours for childcare. Short-term parental leave means stopping work entirely; the reduced-hours scheme is a different instrument that shortens your working day.
Official sources
The links below are official government publications. This page summarises them; always check the original before filing or applying.
- 고용노동부「남녀고용평등법 시행령」·「고용보험법 시행령」 개정안 국무회의 의결 (2026-08-11)
- 대한민국 정책브리핑(문화체육관광부)자녀 돌봄 필요할 때 1~2주 단기 육아휴직…20일부터 시행
- 고용노동부「고용보험법」 개정에 따른 외국인 근로자(E-9, H-2) 고용보험 적용 안내
Verified on: 2026-08-29
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Related policy updates
- Spouse's childbirth leave usable from 50 days before the due date, plus a new miscarriage leave, from 18 September 2026
- Korea's child allowance now covers children under 9, rising one year annually to under 13 by 2030
- Korea proposes merging three child benefits into a birth grant and a monthly child benefit from July 2027
- Monthly payroll reporting to the tax office — the monthly simplified payment statement slips again, to January 2027
This page explains a policy change and is not legal advice. Confirm how it applies to your situation with the responsible agency.