How much did parental leave benefits for foreign workers in Korea increase last year?

Total payments reached 36.45 billion won last year, up from 18.15 billion won the year before. The number of recipients also climbed to 2,031 from 1,354, showing a sharp increase in use of the program.

Who received the most parental leave benefits among foreign nationals in Korea?

Ethnic Korean Chinese received the most support, with 1,154 recipients sharing 22.56 billion won. Vietnamese workers were next with 895 recipients and 12.87 billion won, followed by Chinese, Americans, Japanese, and Canadians.

Why did Rep. Park Soo-min say Korea needs more tailored parental leave policies for foreign workers?

Park said more foreign workers are building families and establishing deeper roots in the country, so the government needs more sophisticated policies that take the broader implications of parental leave into account. The report also notes that foreign workers with relevant visas such as E-9 or H-2 can join employment insurance and qualify for benefits.

Parental leave benefits for foreign workers double last year

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Summary

Parental leave benefits paid to foreign workers in Korea doubled last year, with total payments reaching 36.45 billion won, the Ministry of Employment and Labor said Sunday. The number of recipients rose to 2,031 from 1,354, and 1,476 foreign nationals had already received 26.71 billion won through July this year. Rep. Park Soo-min said the government needs more tailored policies as foreign workers build families and deeper roots in Korea.

Key Facts

Payments to foreign workers rose from 18.15 billion won the year before to 36.45 billion won last year.
The number of recipients increased by more than 50 percent to 2,031 from 1,354.
Through July this year, 1,476 foreign nationals had received 26.71 billion won in parental leave benefits.
Ethnic Korean Chinese accounted for the largest share of support, with 1,154 recipients sharing 22.56 billion won.
Under Korean labor laws, foreign workers with visas such as E-9 or H-2 can enroll in employment insurance and receive parental leave benefits.

By Yonhap

Published Sep 20, 2026 2:14 pm KST

Parental leave benefits paid to foreign workers in Korea doubled over the past year, data showed Sunday.

The data, submitted to Rep. Park Soo-min of the People Power Party by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, showed total payments reached 36.45 billion won last year, up from 18.15 billion won the year before. The number of recipients rose more than 50 percent to 2,031 from 1,354.

Through July of this year, 1,476 foreign nationals have already received 26.71 billion won in benefits.

Foreign nationals made up 1.2 percent of the total recipients as of July, up from 1.1 percent last year and 1 percent two years ago.

Ethnic Korean Chinese received the most support, with 1,154 recipients sharing 22.56 billion won, followed by Vietnamese with 895 recipients and 12.87 billion won. Besides the top two groups, 652 Chinese nationals claimed 11.54 billion won in benefits, 366 Americans received 5.78 billion won, 261 Japanese received 4.99 billion won and 177 Canadians claimed 3.08 billion won.

Under Korean labor laws, foreign workers holding relevant visas, like E-9 or H-2 visas, can enroll in employment insurance and are eligible for parental leave benefits.

As more foreign workers build families and establish deeper roots in the country, the government needs to set up more sophisticated, tailored policies that account for the broader implications of parental leave, Rep. Park said.

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