How much does it cost to have a baby in Korea? (2025)

FAQs

Do you have to pay to have a baby in Korea? ›

South Korea is planning to provide every family with a newborn child with a monthly allowance of 1 million won ($740).

Foreign parents who are not legal residents cannot register the births of any children born to them in Korea, essentially making the children ineligible for government medical care and education.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare yesterday reported Korean parents spend a total of 308.96 million won on average to raise a child for 22 years, or until they finish college, a significant increase of 46.92 million won from the figure recorded in 2009 at 262.04 million won.

- There were 272.3 thousand live births in 2020, which dropped by 30.3 thousand (-10.0%) from 2019. - The fertility rate showed a year-on-year decrease in all age groups excluding mothers aged 40~44. - The average age of mothers giving birth to a child was 33.1 years in 2020, up 0.1 year from 2019.

You can have as many kids as you want. How many children can you have in South Korea? The more the merrier and the government will supplement costs. I have a friend who has 3, and everything is “free,” for his youngest.

Giving Birth in Korean Hospitals

Giving birth in Korea is very convenient and has the most organized program I've ever seen. Hospitals are not crowded, the medical staff is usually very friendly, comforting and accommodating.

As a result, children born to foreign nationals must be registered according to the laws of the parents' country of origin. In such cases, if the country does not have an embassy or consulate in Korea, then the parents must return to the country to register the child's birth.

How much does childbirth cost in Republic of Korea? The average price of childbirth in Republic of Korea is $4250.

After the Delivery In most Korean hospitals, the primary focus for new mothers after delivering is to rest and regain strength. The typical length of stay for an uncomplicated delivery is 3-5 days. Most hospitals will allow rooming in with the mother.

The Korean Government set up a free child care policy in 2013 known as the Universal Childcare Policy, gong-bo-yuk.

Do Korean men use condoms? ›

Male condoms are considered to be cost-effective, readily accessible, and 85% effective at preventing STDs and HIV. However, condom use has been found to be very low among young people in South Korea. Previous studies showed that about 50-80% of emerging adults still do not use condoms during sexual intercourse.

Meanwhile, the working age population – people between ages 15 and 64 – declined by 0.9% between 2020 and 2021. In South Korea and Japan, there are similar reasons behind the decline in births – including demanding work cultures, stagnating wages, rising costs of living and skyrocketing housing prices.

South Korea has the lowest fertility rate in the world. The vast majority of young couples in South Korea end up having only one child because of high childcare costs. Young couples also delay having children because of expensive housing.

Premarital pregnancy has indeed become more common in South Korea, with a 2018 study finding that the number of premarital pregnancies increased 2.5 times between 1990 and 2016. In most cases, the couple faces few legal repercussions as long as they marry.

In some jurisdictions, cousin marriage is legally prohibited: for example, in mainland China, Taiwan, North Korea, South Korea, the Philippines and 24 of the 50 United States. The laws of many jurisdictions set out the degree of consanguinity prohibited among sexual relations and marriage parties.

Aegiya (애기야) – “Baby”

The word 애기 (aegi) is a cute way of saying 아기 (agi), which means “baby. This Korean term is used as a sweet way of saying “baby”.

Individuals automatically receive South Korean nationality at birth if at least one parent is a South Korean national, whether they are born within the Republic of Korea or overseas.

You can get Korean citizenship by marrying a Korean. Foreigners can get an F-2-1 visa for one year after marriage with a Korean citizen. One year of residence may extend from a minimum of one year to a maximum of two years.

How can I get Korean citizenship without marriage? ›

Meeting Naturalization Requirements. Live in Korea for 5 years as a permanent or long-term resident. Unless you have a family relationship with a Korean national, you must live in Korea for at least 5 years as a permanent resident before you can apply for citizenship.

As a rule, dual citizenship in Korea is not allowed. The law explicitly states that one who has acquired Korean citizenship must renounce the citizenship of another country within one year, while Korean nationals lose their Korean citizenship as soon as they acquire a foreign one.

The Cost of Having a Baby in South Korea

If using the NHI, the general cost for having a baby in South Korea is as follows: Pre-natal tests and treatments: 30—80,000 KRW (25—70 USD) Vaginal delivery: 7,100,000 KRW (6,000 USD) C-section delivery: 11,000,000 KRW (9,250 USD)

Healthcare in South Korea

The South Korean healthcare system is run by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and is free to all citizens at the point of delivery. The system is funded by a compulsory National Health Insurance Scheme that covers 97% of the population.

In the decades following the 1950-53 Korean War, the population at least doubled, and in an effort to curb the baby boom in the early years of economic development the government encouraged couples to have only one child. That policy was scrapped around the turn of the century as births started to tumble.

Dad in Delivery Room Most facilities will allow the father in the delivery room; however, some may expect him to have a seat in the waiting room and then take a peak through the nursery room glass.

Tuition fees at a private university in South Korea may cost roughly ₩6,500,00 per semester on average for both undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Medicine and engineering courses tend to have higher tuition fees in South Korea, while tuition fees for arts and humanities courses tend to be slightly cheaper.

As of 2022, South Korea retains the death penalty under Article 41 of the Criminal Code but is classified as an "abolitionist in practice country," meaning that the death penalty has not actually been executed in the last ten years. The last execution of the death penalty took place in 1997.

With an easy way of life, bustling city culture mixed with laidback countryside, and a reasonable cost of living, The Land of the Morning Calm is a popular destination for foreigners from across the globe. When moving to South Korea, there are many practicalities to consider.

Are South Koreans healthy? ›

Koreans have a healthy lifestyle as they maintain a strict diet routine along with regular exercise. Weight Loss Tips: The craze of Korean music, movie, tv-show has now stepped up to another level. People are amazed by their culture, history and tradition. Korean people are always fit and healthy.

Korean schools are divided into public and private schools. Public elementary schools are free (except for school lunches, for which you must pay). Private elementary schools tend to be much more expensive than their public counterparts, but at the middle and high-school level, prices are comparable.

South Korea has the lowest fertility rate in the world. The vast majority of young couples in South Korea end up having only one child because of high childcare costs. Young couples also delay having children because of expensive housing.

After a full decade of concerted efforts, a near universal one-child limit was imposed in 1980. It was then officially written into the constitution of the People's Republic of China in 1982. As it was written in the constitution, couples have the obligation to abide by the requirements of family planning.

According to the CIA World Factbook, Nigeria has the highest birth rate in the world at 47.28 average annual births per 1,000 people per year. The birth rate in Angola decreased significantly since 2000, when it was 46.89.

Is Giving Birth in Canada free? The health care system in Canada is the Medicare system, and it is publicly funded. All Canadian Citizens and permanent residents have free access to this health system. For residents and citizens, the cost of having a baby in Canada is just a few hundred dollars or completely free.

Everyone in the UK is entitled to NHS maternity care whatever their citizenship or immigration status is. Like NHS treatment generally, maternity care is free to those who are 'ordinarily resident' in the UK. This can include foreign nationals.

A two-child policy is a government-imposed limit of two children allowed per family or the payment of government subsidies only to the first two children.