Kim Tae-nyeon "Push to Extend Family Care Leave by 20-30 Days"

Kim Tae-nyeon, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the Democratic Party of Korea's Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 26th and delivering opening remarks. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] Kim Tae-nyeon, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated in a press release on the 28th, "We will negotiate with the opposition party to extend family care leave to 2 to 3 times the current 10-day level in times of crisis."

Floor leader Kim said, "In crisis situations like COVID-19, we will amend the relevant law (the Act on Equal Employment and Support for Work-Family Reconciliation) to allow longer family care leave. At the meeting of the Speaker of the National Assembly and the floor leaders of both parties, it was agreed that COVID-related bills would be prioritized without a standing committee deliberation period if agreed upon by both parties."

He also said, "We will proceed with negotiations with the opposition party as quickly as possible so that the family care leave extension bill can pass the plenary session of the National Assembly as early as next week," adding, "We will also swiftly negotiate with the government to extend the payment period of family care leave support funds, which the government provides to workers for up to 10 days."

He pointed out concerns about the care gap as schools in the metropolitan area have shifted entirely to remote classes due to the resurgence of COVID-19, and kindergarten closures have been extended indefinitely.

Floor leader Kim said, "Especially, measures for working parents to care for their children are urgently needed," adding, "Working parents can use the family care leave system for cases such as their children's remote classes or delayed school attendance. However, the problem is that family care leave is limited to 10 days, and many families have already used all 10 days." He expressed concern, saying, "Many workers are even considering quitting their jobs because they have nowhere to leave their children."

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