Used Up All Care Leave... Will the Childcare Crisis Recur?

Full Remote Classes in Seoul Metropolitan Area
Dual-Income Parents Struggle with No Place to Leave Kids
Many Parents Use Up Family Care Leave in First Semester
Ministry of Employment: "Efforts for Swift Passage of Expanded Care Leave Bill in National Assembly"
Learning Gap Issues in Middle and High Schools Also Arise

On the 20th, students are studying apart from each other in the emergency care classroom operated at Donggyo Elementary School in Mapo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy reporters Hyunju Lee, Bokyung Kim, Gwanju Lee] Bae (39), who returned from parental leave last month, left her first son (9), a second grader in elementary school, at the 'Uri Dongnae Care Center' operated by Seoul City on the morning of the 26th and went to work. Her second child (3) was sent to a daycare center running an emergency care classroom. As a dual-income couple, applying for the care center while returning to work amid the COVID-19 pandemic was a 'stroke of genius.' However, she could not shake off the guilt and anxiety on her way to work. Bae said, "I feel so sorry for sending my children outside in a situation where they could be infected with COVID-19 anytime and anywhere."

With the nationwide spread of COVID-19 and the full implementation of remote classes from the 26th, dual-income parents are worried about the recurrence of a 'childcare crisis.' According to the Ministry of Education, 7,826 kindergartens, elementary, middle, high schools, and special schools in the metropolitan area have entered full remote classes until the 11th of next month. Since the online school opening in March, most students have stayed at home, raising issues of childcare for elementary students and learning gaps for middle and high school students. These problems are likely to recur during the approximately three-week remote class period.

Even with expanded childcare support, concerns about group infections at schools remain, such as not separating lower and upper-grade students, forcing parents to send their children home in the morning and to academies in the afternoon. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, the number of elementary students applying for childcare due to COVID-19 was about 14,000 in March and about 24,000 in July. The total number of elementary students in Seoul is 409,977. A Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education official said, "We will accept students as they come and operate childcare classrooms with about 10 students per class."

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye is announcing the transition to remote classes for kindergartens, elementary, middle, high, and special schools located in the metropolitan area at the briefing room of the Government Seoul Office Main Building on the 25th. From left: Jo Hee-yeon, Superintendent of Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education; Do Seong-hoon, Superintendent of Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education; Lee Jae-jung, Superintendent of Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education; Deputy Prime Minister Yoo. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

Concerns about the recurrence of the 'childcare crisis' are growing. According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, from March this year to the 20th of this month, 127,782 people applied for family care leave, of whom 118,606 received support. Family care leave is a newly established system this year that allows up to 10 days of leave when urgent care is needed for family members such as child-rearing or illness. Initially supported until the first semester, the period was extended until September 30 due to concerns about the resurgence of COVID-19.

However, many parents have already used up their family care leave in the first semester. They are enduring by giving up summer vacation and using annual leave, but they will soon face limits. Parent Chaerin Lee (33) said, "I already used all my family care leave in spring, and since there is no suitable place to leave my child, my husband and I decided to take turns using annual leave, but after using all of that, I don't know what to do." She added, "I am also considering sending my child to my parents' or in-laws' house for the time being, as the provinces seem safer."

The Ministry of Employment and Labor, facing urgent pressure, expressed its intention to expedite the passage of the 'family care leave' expansion bill in the National Assembly. Minister Lee Jae-gap said at the 'Employment and Labor Crisis Response TF Policy Meeting' on the 25th, "Since family care leave is very effective for workers raising children during the COVID-19 situation, we will comprehensively review various proposed bills and strive to ensure that a reasonable and worker-friendly bill is promptly passed during the National Assembly discussions."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.