Women who take childcare leave are 1.3 times more likely to have more babies, said the report based on a 2015 survey of 4,235 married women in their 20s to 40s with childbirth experience.

South Korean women, who work at companies with one or more employees, are eligible to take maternity leave before or after childbirth.

Both men and women, who have worked at a company for one year or longer and have children aged under nine, can take childcare leave for a maximum of one year.

Meanwhile, South Korea's paid maternity leave numbers 12.9 weeks, five weeks shorter than the OECD average with the period of childcare leave standing at 52 weeks, some 16 weeks longer than the OECD number.

South Korea remains gripped by one of the lowest birthrates in the world. The country's total fertility rate stood at 1.24 in 2015, far lower than the replacement level of 2.1 that would keep its 51 million population stable. (Yonhap)