Joo Hyung-hwan, Vice Chairman of the High-Level Committee, Visits Yuhan Yanghaeng and Guro-gu Family Center on Site

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 22nd, the Low Fertility and Aging Society Committee announced that Vice Chairman Joo Hyung-hwan visited Yuhan Corporation and the Guro-gu Family Center in Seoul to listen to on-site opinions.

This visit was conducted to inform stakeholders about policies and gather field opinions following the announcement of the "Measures to Reverse the Low Birthrate Trend" on the 19th of last month.

Yuhan Corporation, a pharmaceutical manufacturing company, is known as a representative company with a family-friendly management culture that has established gender equality in employment and work-life balance. It was certified as a family-friendly company in 2021, recognized as an excellent company in gender employment equality in 2022, and selected as a model company for childbirth and childcare among export companies in 2023.

Yuhan Corporation operates various forms of flexible work systems such as selective working hours and staggered commuting for parents during childcare periods. Since last year, it has also been providing childbirth support funds of 10 million KRW per child born.

Vice Chairman Joo recalled the example of Itochu Corporation, which he inspected during his visit to Japan last week, noting that they have abolished the practice of overtime work through morning-type work systems and breakfast provision, and are actively implementing employment improvement measures aiming for a 30% female executive ratio by 2030. He emphasized, "Our companies must continuously improve long working hours such as overtime and eliminate gender employment discrimination in wages, promotions, and other employment conditions in the workplace along with work-family balance to overcome low birthrate."

Following this, Vice Chairman Joo visited the Guro-gu Family Center in Seoul, observed service support sites, and engaged in conversations with users of childcare services, multicultural families, and families participating in communal childcare sharing centers.

The Guro-gu Family Center in Seoul supports home care through childcare services and communal childcare sharing centers, and provides services to multicultural families and multicultural children and youth.

Vice Chairman Joo stated, “We plan to expand childcare services to supply 300,000 households by 2027 so that anyone who wants can receive services without waiting, and also plan to increase government support.” He added, “This year, we established support for educational activity expenses for children from low-income multicultural families and a customized employment support system for marriage immigrants. Going forward, we will continue to improve policies to support various types of families such as marriage immigrants and multicultural families to overcome difficulties and live stably in our society.”