HK inno.N wins ministerial award for helping normalize parental leave for men

[Financial News] HK inno.N received the Minister of Gender Equality and Family Award in recognition of its efforts to institutionalize parental leave for male employees.
HK inno.N announced on the 28th that it had been selected as an outstanding company in the “Support for Confident Fatherhood” category at the “2026 Best Companies for Raising Children Awards,” held on the 27th at Bankers' Hall in Jung District, Seoul.
The awards were based on the “2026 Assessment of Outstanding Companies Responding to the Population Crisis,” published by the Korean Peninsula Future Population Institute. The assessment considered 300 companies that had published sustainability reports and selected 11 outstanding companies across five areas: support for childbirth and childrearing, support for men’s childcare, career support, flexible family support, and community partnership.
Since 2024, HK inno.N has required all employees who have a child to take at least one month of parental leave. It allows employees to take parental leave regardless of gender and covers 100% of their salary during the first month of leave, easing concerns about a loss of income. As a result, about 82% of male employees took parental leave last year.
The company also operates a program to ease the burden of colleagues taking on the work of employees on parental leave. Starting this year, it has introduced the Kolmar Group-wide “Childcare Colleague Work Support Program,” which provides paid leave, welfare points and other benefits to employees who share the workload.
The company also offers welfare programs that take employees’ life stages into account, including support for fertility treatment costs and children’s tuition. In recognition of these efforts, it has maintained the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family’s Family-Friendly Company certification since 2022.
Eom Myeong-ho, managing director of HK inno.N’s HR Support Office, said, “Creating an organizational culture and environment where employees can raise children with peace of mind is an important social responsibility for companies in an era of population crisis. We will continue our efforts to create an environment where work and family life can coexist.”

[email protected] Jeong Sang-hee Reporter