Parental leave benefits for foreign workers double last year

Seoul, September 20 - The South Korean government's expenditure on parental leave benefits for foreign workers more than doubled last year, according to data released by the Ministry of Employment and Labor. The total payments rose to 36.45 billion won, up from 18.15 billion won in the previous year, while the number of recipients climbed by more than half, reaching 2,031 from 1,354.

As of July, 1,476 foreign nationals had already received 26.71 billion won in benefits, marking an increase in the country's foreign workforce's support for parental leave. Foreign nationals accounted for 1.2 percent of all recipients, up from 1.1 percent the prior year and a mere 1 percent two years earlier.

Ethnic Korean Chinese workers received the most assistance, with 1,154 recipients sharing 22.56 billion won. Vietnamese workers followed with 895 recipients and 12.87 billion won, while Chinese nationals comprised 652 recipients and 11.54 billion won, Americans had 366 recipients and 5.78 billion won, Japanese had 261 recipients and 4.99 billion won, and Canadians had 177 recipients and 3.08 billion won.

According to Rep. Park Soo-min of the People Power Party, the increasing number of foreign families in South Korea necessitates more intricate and tailored policies regarding parental leave benefits.