"Male Parental Leave Usage Rate to Reach 70% by 2030"… Government Establishes Performance Indicators for Low Birthrate Measures

The 6th High-Level Emergency Population Countermeasures Meeting
Establishment of Low Birthrate Countermeasure Performance Indicators... Annual Evaluation
"Reducing the Proportion of Career-Interrupted Women to Less Than Half"
Expansion of Family-Friendly Airports and Customized Support for Premature Infants

The government will establish performance indicators for the low birthrate reversal measures announced last June and evaluate their achievement annually. In the area of work-family balance, the plan is to measure the success of low birthrate policies based on indicators such as whether the male parental leave usage rate expands to 70% by 2030 and whether the career interruption rate among women aged 30 to 44 is reduced to less than half by 2030.

On the afternoon of the 3rd, the Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy held the 6th Emergency Population Countermeasure Meeting at the Government Complex Seoul in Jongno-gu, Seoul, where they reviewed the implementation status and performance indicators of low birthrate measures, discussed the Population Crisis Response Task Force (TF), and announced additional low birthrate measures including plans to create family-friendly airports and tailored support for premature infants.

On this day, high-ranking officials and related ministries announced that to achieve a total fertility rate of 1.0 or higher by 2030, they have set performance indicators and annual targets for the 151 low birthrate policy tasks announced on June 19, and will evaluate their achievement each year. Specifically, in the work-family balance sector, the goal is to reduce the career interruption rate among women aged 30 to 44 from the current 22.3% to 10% by 2030, cutting it by more than half, and to expand the male parental leave usage rate from 6.8% in 2022 to 70% by 2030. In the education and childcare sector, the public childcare utilization rate will be increased from the current 40% to over 50% by 2030, and in the housing and pregnancy/childbirth sector, the supply of housing for childbirth households will be increased from the current 72,000 units to over 120,000 units by 2030.

Each ministry plans to form a performance management task force in January next year based on the finalized performance indicator targets, establish performance management plans, and conduct self-evaluations. In March next year, high-ranking officials and the Population Policy Evaluation Center will review the appropriateness and effectiveness of the business plans, performance indicators, and targets, and feedback the results.

At the meeting, the first outcome of the government-operated Population Crisis Response Task Force (TF) inter-ministerial meeting was also announced. As a first achievement, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport stated that it will reorganize the national land and urban spatial system in response to demographic changes and create an age-friendly housing and transportation environment to prepare for rapid aging. Detailed implementation plans will be reflected in the 2025 work plan and long-term comprehensive plans for land and housing.

Additional Low Birthrate Measures... Creating Family-Friendly Airports and Establishing Support Plans for Premature Infants

As an additional measure, the government announced supplementary plans to create family-friendly airports. First, the eligibility for airport parking fee discounts for families with two or more children, where the youngest child is currently under 15 years old, will be raised to those with the youngest child under 18 years old. A new 'family consideration parking zone' will be created in areas of the airport parking lot with good terminal access, for use by pregnant women, infants, elderly, and accompanying family members who are transportation-vulnerable. Additionally, convenience facilities, services, and cultural content such as children's playgrounds within the airport will be significantly expanded.

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Specific plans for the tailored support measures for premature infants, announced on the 28th of last month, were also revealed. Starting next year, two central intensive care centers responsible for the most critical mothers and newborns will be newly established. From June next year, a mother-child medical transfer support system for 24-hour response and a regional network for medical cooperation will be operated.

In the first half of next year, medical procedures with additional compensation up to 1000% (for children under 1.5kg) for high-difficulty surgeries on newborns will be further expanded, and the medical expense support limit for premature infants will be increased up to 20 million KRW. Furthermore, to alleviate the triple burden of work, treatment, and childcare faced by families of premature infants, the income criteria for the 'Mother and Newborn Health Management Support Project' will be abolished starting next year, and the application validity period and service usage period will be extended.

Children's rehabilitation therapy services, which have been insufficient despite high demand and satisfaction, will also be expanded. The number of participating institutions in the pilot project for children's rehabilitation medical institutions will be increased to 80 by 2027, and frequent diseases related to premature infants will be added to relax the service eligibility. Starting March next year, considering the characteristics of high-risk premature infants who have difficulty undergoing brain damage tests, developmental rehabilitation service vouchers will be allowed to be issued with only exceptional medical opinions submitted.