Paternity Leave Now Extended to 20 Days

- A total of 67 laws, including Equal Employment Opportunity and Work-Family Balance Assistance Act, coming into effect in February

From February, paternity leave will be extended to 20 days and the government will directly certify the safety of electric vehicle batteries. The Ministry of Government Legislation (Minister Lee Wan-kyu) announced that a total of 67 statutes will come into effect in February. Some of the key details and enforcement dates of the forthcoming statutes are as follows.

Paternity Leave Extended to 20 Days, and Leave of Absence for Subfertility Treatment Increased to 6 Days (「EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY AND WORK-FAMILY BALANCE ASSISTANCE ACT」 and 「EMPLOYMENT INSURANCE ACT」, February 23)

Starting February 23, various support systems for work-family balance will be strengthened. First, paternity leave will be expanded from 10 to 20 days, and it may be split into up to three separate segments. Second, leave of absence for subfertility treatment will be increased from three to six days per year, and the number of paid leave of absence will be increased from one to two days. Third, parents will be able to take up to six additional months of parental leave if they each take more than three months of it. Finally, the age threshold for children eligible for reduced working hours for period of childcare will be raised from "8 years old or younger or in the second grade or lower of elementary school" to "12 years old or younger or in the sixth grade or lower of elementary school". Furthermore, if an employee who is eligible to apply for childcare leave has not fully used such leave, double the amount of unused parental leave can be added to the reduced working hours for period of childcare.

Implementation of Safety Certification and Traceability System for Electric Vehicle Traction Battery (「MOTOR VEHICLE MANAGEMENT ACT」, February 17)

Beginning on February 17, the government will certify the safety of the batteries, a core component of electric vehicles. In addition, the Battery Traceability System, which assigns an identification number to the battery of an electric vehicle and manages the entire history of each battery from production to disposal, will be implemented. This is to strengthen the safety management of electric vehicles and ensure consumers' right to know. If an electric vehicle battery is certified as safe and meets the safety standards for parts such as vibration, thermal shock, combustion, and immersion, the vehicle and part manufacturers shall indicate this safety certification. Even after certification, they must undergo a conformity inspection every three years. On the other hand, when registering an electric vehicle, the battery identification number must be specified in the register, and if there is more than one battery, the identification number of each battery must be stated. If the battery installed in an electric vehicle is changed, it must be revised.

Elimination of Sealing on Motor Vehicle Registration License Plates (「MOTOR VEHICLE MANAGEMENT ACT」, February 21)

Starting February 21, motor vehicle registration license plates will no longer have to be sealed. The sealing system, which was introduced in 1962, is a system that secured the left side of the license plate on the back of the car with a screw engraved with the government's logo and a Mugunghwa flower(rose of sharon). To prevent theft, counterfeiting and tampering of license plates, it was destroyed once unscrewed. However, with the advent of security cameras installed on roads, which can detect counterfeit or tampered license plates in real time, and the use of reflective film on license plates, which are highly effective in preventing counterfeiting and tampering, the need to seal license plates has diminished. As a result, the sealing system will be abolished, but going forward, license plates must be fixed and attached even if they do not have sealing screws.

Installation of sprinklers in new kindergarten, special school, temporary classroom and dormitory buildings(「ACT ON THE SAFETY AND MAINTENANCE OF EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES」, February 7)

Beginning on February 7, educational facilities such as kindergartens, special schools, dormitories and boarding houses of elementary, middle, high schools and universities, and temporary classrooms that are newly constructed, expanded, renovated, or relocated are required to install firefighting systems such as sprinklers. These firefighting systems shall be installed in compliance with the seismic design standards so that they can operate normally in case of an earthquake. Previously, under the Act on Installation and Management of Firefighting Systems, only those facilities that meet certain criteria such as area and number of floors were required to install firefighting systems, but with this revision, the obligation is extended to all newly built kindergartens and special schools, dormitories, and temporary classrooms regardless of floors.

The reasons for the enactment of the new statutes, including those stated above, can be found at the Korean Law Information Center (www.law.go.kr).

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