President plans to use all paid leave

By Kim Rahn

President Moon Jae-in took a day off Monday as part of his paid leave this year.

Moon pledged to use all of his holidays to give an example of work-life balance in a bid to change the work culture in Korea where people work long hours and take short holidays.

He rested at his residence within the presidential office compound, according to a Cheong Wa Dae official. The hiking-lover also hiked Mount Bugak near Cheong Wa Dae, with some citizens taking photos with him and posting them to their social media accounts.

The day off came 115 days after his five-day summer holiday.

There is no regulation on how many paid leave days a president can take, but Moon, who had worked as a presidential secretary under the former Roh Moo-hyun administration and as a lawmaker, has 21 days according to the law on public officials. Taking into consideration that he was inaugurated in May, Cheong Wa Dae concluded Moon could take 14 days this year.

The President took one day off on May 22, a five-day summer holiday from July 31 to Aug. 4, and one day Monday. So he still has seven days.

He is expected to use the remaining leave at the end of the year around Christmas. “It is the President’s desire to create an environment where workers use their paid leave fully for relaxation,” the official said.

During his election campaign, Moon pledged to make it mandatory for workers to use all of their paid vacation days, saying people using leave will not only increase individual productivity but also boost the economy and create jobs.

As part of the pledge he designated Oct. 2 as a temporary holiday to extend the Chuseok holiday to 10 days.

Cheong Wa Dae set up its own guidelines and encouraged its workers to use at least 70 percent of their paid leave and refrain from working overtime. It plans to give evaluation disadvantages to those who do not meet the 70 percent limit.

With Cheong Wa Dae staffers setting an example, the presidential office hopes to encourage public officials to use all of their paid leave and spread such a culture to the private sector.