Expanded Paid Leave for Infertility Treatment: How New Law Benefits Workers in 2026

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[iNews24 reporter Kim Da-woon] The paid portion of the annual six-day leave for infertility treatment will be expanded from two days to four days.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor said on the 23rd that the National Assembly plenary session approved amendments to the Act on Equal Employment and Support for Work–Family Balance and the Employment Insurance Act that include these measures.

Employers must provide up to six days of leave per year when employees request time off to undergo infertility treatments such as artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization (IVF). The entitlement applies to all workers, regardless of gender.

Previously, two of the six days were paid; under the amendment, the first four days will be paid and the remaining two will be unpaid.

If employers violate the rule, they may face a fine of up to KRW 5 million (approximately USD 3,750).

The amendment also clarifies who can be held liable for workplace sexual harassment.

It explicitly states that, in addition to employers, corporate representatives and supervisors or employees who are relatives of the employer or the corporate representative may be subject to fines for violating the prohibition on workplace sexual harassment.

The law takes effect six months after its promulgation.

Also on the same day, the National Assembly approved amendments to the Act on the Protection of Dispatched Workers, etc., clarifying that the Framework Act on Administrative Procedures applies when authorities order the closure of illegal dispatch operations.