At Sojusung Forum: "Urgent Need to Introduce Sick Leave Allowance... Linking Health, Industrial Accident, and Employment Insurance"

"Simulation of Production Gap by Those Without Production Capacity: 5~63 Trillion"
"Support for Businesses with Fewer Than 5 Employees and Linkage to Employment Insurance Services Are Important"

On the 26th, at the Seoul Central Post Office in Jung-gu, Seoul, participants including Kwon Deok-cheol, Minister of Health and Welfare, and Kim Yoo-sun, Chairperson of the Special Committee on Income-Led Growth, posed for a commemorative photo during the event "Diagnosis of Social Security Systems and Future Tasks in the Post-Corona Era." Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] Amid calls for the introduction of sickness benefits centered in the political sphere, the Special Committee on Income-Led Growth expressed the opinion that sickness benefits should be introduced promptly. They stated that not only the introduction of sickness benefits but also the promotion of a linkage system with health insurance, industrial accident insurance, and employment insurance is necessary to firmly establish a social safety net for workers. Sickness benefits are a system that guarantees part of the income from health insurance to workers who cannot earn money due to illnesses unrelated to work. It is a benefit that supports workers to rest assured, receive treatment, and then return to work, but the government has not presented any significant opinions other than indicating a pilot introduction next year.

On the afternoon of the 26th, speakers participating in the discussion hosted by the Presidential Special Committee on Income-Led Growth at the Seoul Central Post Office in Jung-gu, Seoul, titled "Post-COVID-19 Era, Diagnosis and Future Tasks of the Social Security System," expressed the need for the introduction of sickness benefits. The discussion was attended by Kwon Deok-cheol, Minister of Health and Welfare; Kim Min-seok, Chairman of the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee; Seo Hyung-soo, Vice Chairman of the Low Fertility and Aging Society Committee; Kim Yoo-sun, Chairperson of the Special Committee on Income-Led Growth; Yang Jae-jin, Professor at Yonsei University; Kim Yoon, Professor at Seoul National University; and Kang Hee-jung, Research Fellow at the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs.

Research Fellow Kang, who spoke as a panelist, argued that since the introduction of sickness benefits is necessary in the long term, a pilot project should be conducted. He emphasized that to design a "Korean-style sickness benefit," the system should be designed focusing on ▲'universality' targeting all workers ▲'acceptability' between the employer's role and sickness benefits ▲'sustainability and sufficiency' based on nationwide risk sharing ▲'efficiency' through linkage building among recipient-centered related systems (such as employment insurance).

By applying the 2017 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of about 835 trillion won, he estimated the scale of public expenditure support for work incapacity (no production capacity) to be between 5.232 trillion and 63.67 trillion won. Given the large uncertainty in cash benefit expenditure, he argued that a pilot project should be conducted promptly. Research Fellow Kang stated, "Along with the introduction of sickness benefits in the future, a consultation system for recognizing sickness benefits unrelated to work between health insurance and industrial accident insurance should be established," and added, "In particular, support for workplaces with fewer than five employees and linkage with employment retention services of employment insurance should be implemented."

Minister of Health and Welfare Kwon Deok-cheol also emphasized in his congratulatory remarks that "As part of the Korean New Deal comprehensive plan announced last July, we are promoting the introduction of sickness benefits that allow people to rest when sick, but the government's efforts alone are insufficient," and stressed, "To design a social security system suitable for the changes in society after COVID-19, expert diagnosis, forecasts, and policy recommendations based on these are urgently needed."

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