Separate Infertility-Treatment Leave for Public Officials to Replace Sick Leave; Takes Effect in December

[Financial News] Public officials who require infertility treatment will be able to take separate “infertility-treatment leave” instead of sick leave starting in December. Applications for leave will generally be approved unless there are special circumstances, and treatment such as assisted reproductive technology for infertility will be specified as a valid reason for taking leave.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) and the Ministry of Personnel Management announced on the 17th that they had issued advance notices of legislation for amendments to the Enforcement Decree on the Appointment of Civil Servants and the Enforcement Decree on the Appointment of Local Public Officials. The amendments will take effect on December 3.
The introduction of infertility-treatment leave was already finalized in June through amendments to the State Public Officials Act and the Local Public Officials Act. Until now, public officials who needed to be absent for an extended period for infertility treatment had to use sick leave. Following the legal amendments, infertility treatment was established as a separate ground for requested leave. The leave is available for up to one year and may be extended by up to one additional year in unavoidable cases.
The key purpose of the enforcement decree amendments is to specify the criteria for approving leave ahead of the system’s implementation in December. They explicitly identify “undergoing infertility treatment, such as assisted reproductive technology, due to infertility” as a reason for applying for infertility-treatment leave and require the appointing authority to approve applications in principle.
Exceptions have also been established. If the period of infertility-treatment leave is two years or longer per child the official seeks to have, or if leave is deemed particularly necessary for the efficient use of personnel, the appointing authority may decide whether to approve it. In such cases, the authority may seek advice on the necessity of the leave from a committee involving relevant experts.
The government will also establish the supporting documents required for applying for leave and returning to work, as well as standards for managing officials’ duties during the leave period. The Ministry of Personnel Management and MOIS plan to revise related administrative rules, including the Rules on the Appointment of Civil Servants and the Guidelines for the Operation of the Local Public Officials Personnel System, during the second half of this year. The government will also establish management standards to prevent excessive use of the system while guaranteeing leave for infertility treatment.
Public officials who need leave for infertility treatment by December 2, before the new system takes effect, may continue to use sick leave under the current regulations, as before.


[email protected] Bomi Lee Reporter