"From Maternity Leave to Parental Leave Era" Korea Philip Morris Introduces Up to 18 Weeks of Parental Leave

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] Korea Philip Morris announced on the 16th that it has introduced a parental leave system to support employee welfare and work-family balance.

Effective from January 1st of this year, Korea Philip Morris's parental leave system goes beyond the existing concept of maternity leave granted to biological parents who give birth, expanding support to various types of families raising children, including adoption and legal guardianship.

Under the new system, Korea Philip Morris grants up to 18 weeks (126 days) of paid parental leave to employees who are the 'primary caregivers' and up to 8 weeks (56 days) to employees who are 'secondary caregivers.' Primary caregivers refer to those who have given birth to or adopted a child or serve as the main legal guardian or protector, while secondary caregivers are those who protect the child but are not the primary caregiver. The leave can be used within one year from the date of childbirth, adoption, or becoming a legal guardian.

In Korea, maternity leave systems currently support 90 days for women before and after childbirth and 10 days for their spouses. Under the parental leave system introduced by Korea Philip Morris, if the primary caregiver is a female employee, she can take 36 days more than the legally stipulated 90 days, and if the secondary caregiver is a male employee, he can take 46 days more than the existing 10 days.

Pravin Upadhye, Executive Vice President of People & Culture at Korea Philip Morris, said, "The newly introduced parental leave reflects Philip Morris International's values emphasizing diversity and inclusion," adding, "We will do our best to support our employees, the company's most important asset, so that they can enjoy a better life by balancing work and family."

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