diff --git a/packages/router/src/operators/recognize.ts b/packages/router/src/operators/recognize.ts
index 4d30ac2810..67e7b6a7df 100644
--- a/packages/router/src/operators/recognize.ts
+++ b/packages/router/src/operators/recognize.ts
@@ -17,13 +17,13 @@ import {UrlTree} from '../url_tree';
 
 export function recognize(
     rootComponentType: Type<any>| null, config: Route[], serializer: (url: UrlTree) => string,
-    paramsInheritanceStrategy: 'emptyOnly' |
-        'always'): MonoTypeOperatorFunction<NavigationTransition> {
+    paramsInheritanceStrategy: 'emptyOnly' | 'always', relativeLinkResolution: 'legacy' |
+        'corrected'): MonoTypeOperatorFunction<NavigationTransition> {
   return function(source: Observable<NavigationTransition>) {
     return source.pipe(mergeMap(
         t => recognizeFn(
                  rootComponentType, config, t.urlAfterRedirects, serializer(t.urlAfterRedirects),
-                 paramsInheritanceStrategy)
+                 paramsInheritanceStrategy, relativeLinkResolution)
                  .pipe(map(targetSnapshot => ({...t, targetSnapshot})))));
   };
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/packages/router/src/router.ts b/packages/router/src/router.ts
index ef6528f7a5..41b5cf7fa2 100644
--- a/packages/router/src/router.ts
+++ b/packages/router/src/router.ts
@@ -414,7 +414,7 @@ export class Router {
                       // Recognize
                       recognize(
                           this.rootComponentType, this.config, (url) => this.serializeUrl(url),
-                          this.paramsInheritanceStrategy),
+                          this.paramsInheritanceStrategy, this.relativeLinkResolution),
 
                       // Fire RoutesRecognized
                       tap(t => {
diff --git a/packages/router/test/integration.spec.ts b/packages/router/test/integration.spec.ts
index 3619c5f10f..32559d1fbf 100644
--- a/packages/router/test/integration.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/router/test/integration.spec.ts
@@ -76,6 +76,41 @@ describe('Integration', () => {
          ]);
        })));
 
+    describe('relativeLinkResolution', () => {
+      beforeEach(inject([Router], (router: Router) => {
+        router.resetConfig([{
+          path: 'foo',
+          children: [{path: 'bar', children: [{path: '', component: RelativeLinkCmp}]}]
+        }]);
+      }));
+
+      it('should not ignore empty paths in legacy mode',
+         fakeAsync(inject([Router], (router: Router) => {
+           router.relativeLinkResolution = 'legacy';
+
+           const fixture = createRoot(router, RootCmp);
+
+           router.navigateByUrl('/foo/bar');
+           advance(fixture);
+
+           const link = fixture.nativeElement.querySelector('a');
+           expect(link.getAttribute('href')).toEqual('/foo/bar/simple');
+         })));
+
+      it('should ignore empty paths in corrected mode',
+         fakeAsync(inject([Router], (router: Router) => {
+           router.relativeLinkResolution = 'corrected';
+
+           const fixture = createRoot(router, RootCmp);
+
+           router.navigateByUrl('/foo/bar');
+           advance(fixture);
+
+           const link = fixture.nativeElement.querySelector('a');
+           expect(link.getAttribute('href')).toEqual('/foo/simple');
+         })));
+    });
+
     it('should set the restoredState to null when executing imperative navigations',
        fakeAsync(inject([Router], (router: Router) => {
          router.resetConfig([
@@ -4030,6 +4065,57 @@ describe('Integration', () => {
            ]);
          })));
     });
+
+    describe('relativeLinkResolution', () => {
+      @Component({selector: 'link-cmp', template: `<a [routerLink]="['../simple']">link</a>`})
+      class RelativeLinkCmp {
+      }
+
+      @NgModule({
+        declarations: [RelativeLinkCmp],
+        imports: [RouterModule.forChild([
+          {path: 'foo/bar', children: [{path: '', component: RelativeLinkCmp}]},
+        ])]
+      })
+      class LazyLoadedModule {
+      }
+
+      it('should not ignore empty path when in legacy mode',
+         fakeAsync(inject(
+             [Router, NgModuleFactoryLoader],
+             (router: Router, loader: SpyNgModuleFactoryLoader) => {
+               router.relativeLinkResolution = 'legacy';
+               loader.stubbedModules = {expected: LazyLoadedModule};
+
+               const fixture = createRoot(router, RootCmp);
+
+               router.resetConfig([{path: 'lazy', loadChildren: 'expected'}]);
+
+               router.navigateByUrl('/lazy/foo/bar');
+               advance(fixture);
+
+               const link = fixture.nativeElement.querySelector('a');
+               expect(link.getAttribute('href')).toEqual('/lazy/foo/bar/simple');
+             })));
+
+      it('should ignore empty path when in corrected mode',
+         fakeAsync(inject(
+             [Router, NgModuleFactoryLoader],
+             (router: Router, loader: SpyNgModuleFactoryLoader) => {
+               router.relativeLinkResolution = 'corrected';
+               loader.stubbedModules = {expected: LazyLoadedModule};
+
+               const fixture = createRoot(router, RootCmp);
+
+               router.resetConfig([{path: 'lazy', loadChildren: 'expected'}]);
+
+               router.navigateByUrl('/lazy/foo/bar');
+               advance(fixture);
+
+               const link = fixture.nativeElement.querySelector('a');
+               expect(link.getAttribute('href')).toEqual('/lazy/foo/simple');
+             })));
+    });
   });
 
   describe('Custom Route Reuse Strategy', () => {