More than half of kindergarten teachers say they are unable to use health-related leave or family care leave. A survey of 1,759 kindergarten teachers conducted by the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations showed that 54.1 percent of respondents said they have never used health-related leave, or family care leave, during their teaching career. The survey also showed that 64.8 percent of respondents said they have never used health-related leave, while 34.8 percent said they have never used family care leave. When asked why they were unable to use such leave, 81.9 percent of respondents cited the need to ensure that classes are properly managed. The survey was conducted from April 10 to 21.

A recent government press conference in Seoul revealed that more than half of kindergarten teachers in South Korea struggle to utilize paid leave for health or family care. Hui Jeong-yeong, the leader of the National Kindergarten Teachers' Union, stated that teachers cannot comfortably use these leaves when needed. The "2026 Nationwide Kindergarten Teacher Rights and Administrative and Service Environment Survey" found that 52.6% of the 2,278 participating teachers did not use these leaves in the past year.

Reasons included difficulty finding substitute teachers (31.5%), worry about management's disapproval (25.6%), and increased burden from peers (22.9%). To address this, 70.3% of teachers suggested building a pool of "kindergarten supervisory teachers." However, 39.1% of teachers experienced negative outcomes when reporting incidents, and 42.2% feared retaliation if they filed a complaint about administrative overreach. This lack of protection leads to reduced child education and guidance.