South Korea expands paid infertility treatment leave to four days

Starting November 27, the paid portion of infertility treatment leave in South Korea will expand from two days to four days. The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced this change alongside a new guide for employers and HR managers to facilitate the implementation of the expanded benefits.

Under the revised Equal Employment Opportunity and Work-Family Balance Assistance Act, the government will fully subsidize the first four days of paid leave for employees at small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with the maximum benefit amount increasing from 168,420 won to 336,840 won. Large corporations are expected to cover these costs according to their internal regulations.

To ensure compliance, new penalties will be introduced. Employers who refuse leave requests may face fines of up to 5 million won, while those who subject employees to disadvantages—such as dismissal or salary cuts—due to their use of the leave could face up to three years in prison or fines of up to 30 million won. The scope of the leave also covers essential preparation stages, such as infertility testing and ovulation induction, rather than just the procedure days.

To protect privacy, the Ministry highlighted corporate best practices, such as Lotte Shopping renaming the leave to ‘Family Planning Leave’ and EcoPro implementing an independent digital approval system accessible only by HR departments.