Temporary Retirement Allowance for Nursery Amounts to 200,000 Won.

If workers, who have babies younger than a year old, apply for the temporary retirement for nursery, they are to be paid 200,000won per month beginning in November. Either a female worker, who has subscribed employment insurance for more than six months, or a male worker who is the husband of the female worker, can apply for the temporary retirement for nursery.

Lee Mi-Kyung, chairperson of the third policy planning committee of the Millennium Democratic Party (MDP), announced that the government and the MDP agreed to raise the temporary retirement allowance for nursery from 100,000 won per month to 200,000 won at a government-party meeting at the National Assembly yesterday.

Chairperson Lee Mi-Kyung said, ``According to a result of the public survey, 83.5 percent of the female workers said they would not apply for the temporary retirement for nursery with 100,000won. Due to such opposition from the women`s groups and the members of the ruling-opposition parties, the government-party raised the allowance.``

Lee added that ``if the government pays 200,000won per month, 40 percent of 173,000 female workers, who have babies younger than a year old, are anticipated to apply for the temporary retirement for nursery for 4.9 months. The required budget amounts to 35 billion won, and the government plans to insure additional 8 billion won to 10 billion won.``

Yoon Jong-Koo jkmas@donga.com