Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

Male soldiers allowed to take up to 3 years of paternity leave.

The period of child-care leave granted to male soldiers, who account for 95% of military officers, is about to significantly increase. On December 13, the Ministry of National Defense announced that the revised bill for the Military Personnel Management Act, which increases the opportunity for child-care leave period for soldiers, has passed the cabinet council.

Under this revision to the law, the period of paternity leave, which is now up to 1 year per child, will be increased to 3 years or less, making it equal to the period granted to female soldiers. The required age of children was also eased somewhat, adjusted from ‘under 8 and under second grade of elementary school in case children are at school’ to ‘under 8 or under second grade of elementary school.’ In addition, the law that allowed child-care leave only for female soldiers has been improved, and is applied to both male and female soldiers equally.

The bill which is to be revised related to child-care leave will take effect as soon as the law is promulgated. It will also be applied to those who have already used child-care leave before the revision or who are on parental leave when the revised act enters into force.

This revision is meaningful as it expands the pregnancy, childbirth and nurturing support system, which has been promoted so far, to male soldiers. The MND has been expanding its institutional support in order to minimize the difficulties that female soldiers can experience due to pregnancy and childbirth. Since the child-care leave system was introduced in 1999, the eligible subjects and period have been expanded, and in 2008, the order for maternity protection was established and temporary working appointment, flexible working, etc, for child-care leave were introduced. In 2013, ‘Maternity protection reinforcement strategy in a vulnerable area’ was established and enforced through collaboration with relevant departments with the aim of improving working conditions.

Through these diverse efforts, the military has been offering a variety of work-family balancing support systems in consideration of the family’s life-cycle, including sterility and low fertility support, personnel management of newlyweds, creation of safe working conditions during pregnancy and childbirth to nurturing support after childbirth. As a result, the total birth rate among female soldiers last year was 1.55, which is higher than the average in Korea, 1.24. And as this revision which will invigorate the participation of male soldiers in child-care is expected to give a clue to solution of the low birth rate problem, a national task by raising the birth rate in the entire military.

An MND official commented, “We expect this revision of the military personnel management act will trigger greater gender equality within the military and mature the work-family balance as the institutional framework supporting the participation in child-caring of male soldiers will be strengthened, and a contribution made to an increase in the national birthrate. We will continue to actively create family-friendly working conditions with continuous system improvement and strengthening of promotion and education for pregnancy, childbirth and nurturing support for soldiers.”

By Su-Yeol, Maeng < guns13@dema.mil.kr >
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