"Birth Rate '0.65', Only Used as an Election Slogan? Zero Related Bills Passed"

21st National Assembly, Only 3.2% of Related Bills Processed

Although the total fertility rate in the fourth quarter of last year hit a record low of 0.65, an investigation revealed that only 3.2% (7 out of 220) of the bills related to maternal and parental protection submitted to the 21st National Assembly were processed. Notably, there were zero amendments to laws related to low birth rates last year.

On the 10th, the civic group 'Workplace Bullying 119' analyzed the status of bills related to maternal and parental protection systems concerning pregnancy, childbirth, childcare, and family care in the 21st National Assembly. Among 220 proposed bills related to maternal and parental protection, only 7 bills (3.2%) were amended. Specifically, ▲3 amendments were passed out of 137 bills proposed under the Act on Equal Employment and Support for Work-Family Reconciliation ▲1 amendment was passed out of 30 bills proposed under the Labor Standards Act ▲3 amendments were passed out of 53 bills proposed under the Employment Insurance Act.

Including 21 bills that were discarded after being merged and reflected in alternative proposals, the total number of low birth rate-related bills processed in this National Assembly was 28, accounting for only 12.7%. Particularly, no bills were processed last year.

Looking at the status of bill processing by law, out of 180 proposed amendments to the Act on Equal Employment and Support for Work-Family Reconciliation, 137 bills contained content related to care and low birth rates. Among the 18 bills processed within the session, 15 were discarded after reflecting alternative proposals, and only 3 bills (2.1%) were passed in their original form.

The passed bills include ▲extension of family care leave during large-scale disasters and similar situations ▲expansion of the number of times parental leave can be split from once to twice ▲guaranteeing the right to apply for relief from gender discrimination at the Labor Relations Commission and the use of parental leave for pregnant female workers.

Under the Labor Standards Act, among 30 proposed amendments related to low birth rates, only one bill (3.3%) was amended. This bill requires employers to allow pregnant female workers to request changes to their start and end times of work, with a fine of up to 5 million KRW imposed for violations.

Regarding the Employment Insurance Act, 8 out of 53 proposed amendments related to low birth rates were processed; among these, 5 were discarded after reflecting alternative proposals, and only 3 bills (5.7%) were amended. The amendments include ▲payment of prenatal and postnatal benefits for fixed-term and dispatched workers when their contract expires during maternity leave ▲payment of prenatal and postnatal benefits for artists and labor providers ▲payment of miscarriage and stillbirth leave benefits for fixed-term and dispatched workers when their contract expires during miscarriage and stillbirth leave.

With the April 10 general election just a month away, the People Power Party has pledged to mandate one month of paid leave for both parents at childbirth and to raise the upper limit of parental leave benefits to 2.1 million KRW. The Democratic Party of Korea also announced election pledges such as the introduction of an automatic parental leave registration system and guarantees for maternity leave for non-regular female workers.

Workplace Bullying 119 criticized, stating, "After presenting plausible pledges and entering the National Assembly, excuses such as 'lack of seats' and political strife repeatedly lead to the abandonment of pledges, while the low birth rate problem deepens indefinitely." They added, "This only deepens suspicion that low birth rate pledges are consumed merely as election slogans."