A New York Times (NYT) reporter who used a high-end postpartum care center in Seoul reported that Korean care centers provide world-class service. However, he explained that it is expensive to use and that this is one of the reasons why Korea’s birth rate is the lowest in the world.
On the 28th (local time), NYT introduced the experience of Seoul bureau editor Loretta Charlton, who recently gave birth in Korea and entered a luxury postpartum care center in Gangnam for two weeks. In an article titled ‘3 weeks of rest and sleep at a cooking center for new mothers in Seoul,’ he shared his first-hand experience of life at a cooking center and his coverage of new mothers.
The postpartum care center where Editor Charlton entered provides fresh meals three times a day and also provides services such as facial and full body massage and newborn care classes.
In addition, because a nurse is present 24 hours a day, mothers can breastfeed in the middle of the night and then leave their newborns in the care of the nurse and return to their private room to sleep. He said, “Sleep is one of the best luxuries that mothers can enjoy at a postpartum care center.”
Editor Charlton explained that, in addition, the quality of care was improved by having staff collect laundry throughout the hallways of the kitchen and Pilates instructors stationed at various locations.
However, he focused on the fact that the cost of admission to these postpartum care centers ranges from at least several million won to tens of millions of won depending on the period. In the case of the postpartum care center she entered, the cost of admission for two weeks, excluding the cost of services such as facial and full body massage, was over $6,000 (approximately 8 million won).
Editor Charlton also reported that although the cost of becoming a registered nurse is high, the competition is so fierce that it is difficult to get admission unless you make a reservation the moment pregnancy is confirmed. She told the story of making a reservation as soon as she saw a double line on a pregnancy test, and the story of using two cell phones to make a reservation at a high-end catering center.
He also analyzed Jooriwon as a ‘mothers’ network.’ One mother said in an interview, “The friends they make at a cooking center will stay with their children for the rest of their lives,” and “(Mothers) will want to hang out with children who belong to similar classes.”
Editor Charlton pointed out that even though a lot of money has to be spent on postpartum care centers, it is only a small portion of the total cost of raising a child in Korea. He explained, “This will help explain Korea’s birth rate.” Koreans are reluctant to give birth due to the high cost of raising a child.
A Korean woman told the NYT, “Even if the postpartum care center is excellent, it only lasts two weeks and life afterward is a different story, which is why people are reluctant to give birth.”
Kim Ye-seul,
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.