Lee Won-joo of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea has become the first member of the Changwon City Council to take maternity leave after giving birth, according to local media reports Thursday.
Until recently, the council had no formal maternity leave policy, a gap observers attributed to its historically older, male-dominated membership.
In May 2023, however, the council amended its rules to allow the speaker to grant up to 90 days of maternity leave to members who give birth, with at least 45 days to be taken after childbirth. Council members who give birth to multiple children may take up to 120 days of leave.
The revision also introduced up to 10 days of paternity leave for male members whose spouses give birth.
The amendment was proposed by 17 council members, including Lee, as part of efforts to address South Korea’s ailing birth rate and promote a better work-life balance in public office.
Currently, only several local councils in South Gyeongsang Province — including Changwon, the South Gyeongsang Provincial Council and Yangsan — have formalized maternity leave for sitting members in their rules of procedure.
The Yangsan City Council was the first in the region to do so in late 2022, with one of its members taking 90 days of maternity leave the following year. The South Gyeongsang Provincial Council followed suit last month, adopting a 90-day maternity leave provision while extending paternity leave for male lawmakers to up to 20 days.
junheee@heraldcorp.com
