The number of working fathers who temporarily take time off work to care for their children is expected to top ten-thousand this year.
 
The Ministry of Employment and Labor unveiled the projection on Monday as it estimated that five-thousand-101 workers in private companies and public agencies took paternity leave in the first half of the year. 
 
That’s up more than 52 percent from the same period last year.
 
Out of the total number of people who took parental leave in the first half of the year, eleven-point-three percent were male. That proportion is up four percentage points from the same period last year.
 
Under the nation’s parental leave system, workers who have a child aged eight or under can take parental leave for up to one year. Employers who do not abide by the system face fines of up to five-million won.