The number of Korean workers taking parental leave reached a record high in 2024, data showed Wednesday, largely due to a rise in the number of births last year and the effects of government policies promoting parental leave. A total of 206,226 workers took time off from work in order to care for their children last year, up from 198,218 recorded a year earlier, according to data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics. The ministry noted that the increase was partly due to a rise in births and the impact of parental leave policies. In 2024, the number of babies born increased for the first time in nine years to reach 238,300, up 3.6 percent from a record low of 230,000 in 2023. Under Korean law, parents of children aged 8 years or younger, or those in the second grade of elementary school or below, are eligible for up to one year of maternity or paternity leave. To address the nation's prolonged ultralow birth rate, the government provides financial assistance to employment insurance subscribers who take parental leave. Though still dominantly taken by women, the ministry also highlighte