Earlier quoted context omitted.
Where did you get this number from ? I see 90 days. 60 paid full and if its anything like other Asian countries there a pretty low limit for the partial paid part. Maybe you can take a year but you will almost certainly not keep your job afterwards. I guess 45 days after birth is much better than most US jurisdictions. If the father does get it and doesn’t take it it will most certainly also be because of fear of pun…
the 90 days is just maternity leave. For parental leave you have a year, and by law you can't lose your job.
Maternity leave is 90 days( Article 74 (Protection of Pregnant Women and Nursing Mothers [0]), paternity leave is actually 10 days( Article 18-2 Paternity Leave [1]).
What you're referring to is CHAPTER III-2 assistance for work-family balance. And it only applies "provided, That this shall not apply to cases prescribed by Presidential Decree, such as where it is impossible to employ his or her substitute or where the normal operation of business is significantly impeded"[1]. The burden of proof like always is on the employee.
And while you can't get fired during(provided the presidential decree doesn't apply to you), the employee may still try to get rid of you after you did it. But this also needs explaining that people in South Korea oftentimes stay with their employer a lifetime, that 1 year maybe chosen across 8 years of the Childs birth, and it's unlikely that in Asian culture someone will dare taking it in the first year of their employment.
[0] https://elaw.klri.re.kr/eng_service/lawView.do?hseq=25437&la...
[1] https://elaw.klri.re.kr/kor_service/lawView.do?lang=ENG&hseq...