Civil servants with children aged 12 or younger (sixth grade of elementary school) will now be eligible to take parental leave. Civil servants requiring fertility treatment will also be guaranteed a separate leave of absence.
The Ministry of Personnel Management and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that the promulgation bills for the State Public Officials Act and the Local Public Officials Act, containing these provisions, were approved at a Cabinet meeting on the 26th. Under the changes, the age limit of children eligible for parental leave will be raised. Previously, only civil servants with children aged 8 or younger or in second grade of elementary school or lower were eligible to take parental leave. Going forward, civil servants with children aged 12 or younger or in sixth grade of elementary school will also be able to take parental leave. The measure is intended to fully reflect childcare demand during the compulsory elementary education period, when actual care is needed.
A new fertility treatment leave will also be introduced. Until now, civil servants had to use sick leave for fertility treatment. With this legal revision, fertility treatment leave will be newly established as a separate category of leave, allowing civil servants to apply for it when needed.
The raised age limit for children eligible for parental leave will take effect immediately upon promulgation of the revised law in June. The fertility treatment leave will be implemented after a six-month grace period to allow detailed provisions to be arranged in subordinate regulations such as the Public Officials Appointment Decree. However, until the revised law takes effect, leave for fertility treatment can still be taken as sick leave, as before.
