South Korea's Cabinet approved changes to two labor-law implementing decrees on November 3, setting new obligations for employers around reemployment support, workplace sexual harassment and childcare-related reductions in working hours. The measures will not all begin at once. The Ministry of Employment and Labor's announcement specifies separate November 2026, July 2027 and July 2029 dates for different provisions.
Under existing law, certain employers with at least 1,000 workers must provide reemployment support when employees aged 50 or above face involuntary departure. That threshold will be lowered to 500 workers on July 1, 2027, and to 300 workers on July 1, 2029. Available assistance can include career planning, job matching and vocational preparation. Employers will also gain more flexibility to satisfy the duty by enabling employees to attend outside employment programs.
More mid-sized employers covered
The staged expansion aims to bring mid-sized businesses into a system previously focused on the largest firms. It does not mean every person aged 50 automatically receives another job or that the lower threshold applies today. A worker's eligibility, the size of the employer and the date of departure will still matter.
- Cabinet approval
- November 3, 2026
- Harassment and childcare rules
- November 27, 2026
- Reemployment thresholds
- 500+ workers in 2027; 300+ in 2029
The second decree sets out penalties under employment-equality legislation taking effect November 27. Until now direct administrative fines for harassment itself primarily targeted the employer. The revised framework adds corporate representatives and covered relatives of employers or representatives who work at the business, including spouses and relatives within the fourth degree. The ministry says family relationships can make internal investigation and discipline difficult.
Fines and childcare notices
For a first violation, a corporate representative or employer may face a 3 million won fine, while a covered relative employed as a supervisor or worker may face 2 million won. Multiple instances or victims can increase the fine to 5 million won; a repeat fineable offense within three years can carry a 10 million won penalty. Those are published penalty bands, not fines imposed in any specific case.
Employers will also have to notify employees within 14 days when they approve applications to reduce working hours for childcare. The notice must be written or electronic, helping families arrange their schedules. The underlying scheme applies to eligible workers caring for children aged 12 or younger or through elementary school grade six. The separate duty to explain a refusal remains; the new notification procedure does not automatically approve every request.