Infant Allowance Payment Starting from Babies Born in 2022

4th Low Birthrate and Aging Society Plan
Gradually Increasing to 500,000 Won per Month

[Asia Economy Reporters Hyunju Lee and Hyunui Cho] Infant allowances will be provided starting with babies born in 2022. To expand parental leave, if both parents with children under 12 months take 3 months of parental leave each, they will receive up to 3 million KRW per month each.

On the 15th, the government reviewed and finalized the "4th Basic Plan for Low Fertility and Aging Society (2021?2025)" at the Cabinet meeting presided over by President Moon Jae-in.

The newly introduced measure in the 4th Basic Plan for Low Fertility and Aging Society is the infant allowance for children aged 0 to 1. Currently, if an infant uses daycare, 500,000 KRW is supported for institutional childcare fees, and if raised at home, 200,000 KRW per month is provided for 0-year-olds and 150,000 KRW per month for 1-year-olds.

However, considering that most infants find it difficult to use daycare centers, the current dual system will be improved to a unified infant allowance payment. The infant allowance will apply to babies born in 2022 and later. The government plans to gradually increase the support amount to provide 500,000 KRW per month to all infants aged 0 to 1 by 2025.

Up to 3 Million KRW Support When Both Parents Take Parental Leave
Support Criteria for Multiple Children Expanded from 3 to 2 Children

To create an environment where both parents can participate in childcare, a "3 months + 3 months parental leave system" will also be introduced. If both parents with children under 12 months take 3 months of parental leave each, they can receive up to 3 million KRW per month each.

The current parental leave pay system provides 80% of the average wage (1.5 million KRW per month) for months 1 to 3 of parental leave, and 50% (1.2 million KRW per month) for months 4 to 12. If both parents take parental leave for the same child, the second parent receives 100% of the average wage (2.5 million KRW per month) for months 1 to 3 of leave. This system was introduced to encourage paternal parental leave, considering that mothers usually take parental leave first.

However, under this revision, for children aged 0 and under, both parents will receive 100% of the average wage (2 to 3 million KRW per month) to encourage paternal parental leave. If only one parent takes leave, support remains at 80% of the average wage (1.5 million KRW per month) as before.

Additionally, the support criteria for families with multiple children will be gradually expanded from 3 children to 2 children. To support continued employment of middle-aged workers, incentives such as suitable job employment subsidies (400,000 to 800,000 KRW per month) and reemployment support for professionals (technical and research personnel, etc.) will be expanded to provide opportunities to utilize expertise even after retirement.

Furthermore, a "Gender Equality Management Disclosure System" will be introduced to easily identify companies that avoid hiring women or exclude them from promotions. Also, with the establishment of new labor committees, victims of gender discrimination and sexual harassment will be able to pursue relief procedures such as punitive damages.

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