Currently, all countries among the 36 member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), except Korea and the United States, have introduced paid sick leave and sick pay, and the International Labor Organization (ILO) already recommended all countries to guarantee paid sick leave and sick pay under the law through the Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention set out in 1952. 

However, the current law contains no provision on paid sick leaves, and only some workers are entitled to receive paid sick leave according to the employment rules and collective agreements, and thus, a significant number of workers have no choice but to continue to work even if they fall ill, further aggravating their condition. 

Therefore, if a worker submits documentary evidence such as medical certificate from a doctor and applies for sick leave, the Amendment aims to allow him/her to take the leave on a paid basis for up to 30 days a year, and to guarantee the paid sick leave of workers under the law and reduce the burden therefrom on employers by developing the basis for the State to subsidize sick pay (Article 17 (1) 4-2 and Article 62-2 newly inserted).

Article 62-2 (Sick Leave)