In Korea, there is a system called paternity leave, which allows fathers to take time off after the birth of their child.

To encourage fathers to participate in childcare, the government provides financial support to cover a portion of the leave benefits.

There haven’t been many moments when I felt particularly lucky to be a company employee, but being able to use benefits like paternity leave and parental leave is definitely one of them.

If I were self-employed or a freelancer, would I really have been able to stop working for an entire month and devote all my time to my child? I’m not sure I could have made that decision so easily.

And the fact that this leave is paid—meaning my monthly income remains unchanged—is something I’m genuinely grateful for.

Before applying for paternity leave, I looked into the details and summarized them below.

Technically, the leave can be divided into four separate periods, but with my personality, I don’t think I could bring myself to ask for time off four different times.

I’m simply thankful that the leave is fully paid and that the 20 days are counted as business days, which effectively allows me to take about a full month off.

One thing to note is that the leave doesn’t just need to start within 120 days—it must be completed within 120 days after the birth. I imagine some people might misunderstand this and unintentionally miss out.

Details

1. Leave duration: 20 business days
2. Application deadline: Within 120 days of the child’s birth (the entire leave must be used within this period)
3. Split usage: Can be divided into up to four separate periods
4. Compensation: Fully paid leave