Amendments to civil service appointment decrees put out for public comment

Personnel authorities must approve fertility leave requests in principle

[Yonhap]
[Yonhap]

A dedicated fertility treatment leave system for civil servants will take effect Dec. 3.

Under the new system, civil servants who need fertility treatment will be able to apply for fertility leave rather than sick leave, and will be entitled to take the leave unless special circumstances apply.

The Ministry of Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Personnel Management announced Thursday that they have put proposed amendments to the Civil Service Appointment Decree and the Local Civil Service Appointment Decree out for public comment.

The amendments set out the details needed ahead of the launch of fertility leave — newly established as a separate category of personal leave — following revisions to the State Public Officials Act and the Local Public Officials Act passed in June.

Civil servants who needed time off for fertility treatment had previously been required to use sick leave, but the legislative changes will allow them to apply under the newly created fertility leave category instead.

The presidential decree amendments will specify that fertility leave may be applied for when a civil servant undergoes fertility treatment, including assisted reproductive procedures, due to infertility.

Personnel authorities must in principle approve fertility leave requests. However, they may exercise discretion over whether to grant leave when "special circumstances" exist.

The amendments define those circumstances as cases where total fertility leave taken for a given child would reach two years or more, or where denial is specifically necessary for the efficient use of personnel.

In such cases, the personnel authority may seek advice from a committee that includes relevant specialists on whether the leave is warranted, helping inform the approval decision.

The Ministry of Personnel Management and the Ministry of Interior and Safety also plan to revise related administrative rules — including the Civil Servant Appointment Rules and the Local Civil Service Personnel System Operating Guidelines — in the second half of the year, in line with the effective dates of the two acts.

The revisions will clarify the supporting documents required when applying for or returning from leave, as well as rules on managing attendance during leave, with the aim of ensuring civil servants who need fertility treatment can take the leave while preventing abuse.

Civil servants who need fertility treatment before the effective date may continue to use sick leave under the current rules.


thlee@heraldcorp.com