Jang Jaeseong, Gwangju City Council Preliminary Candidate, Pledges "Establishment of Seo-gu Public Postpartum Care Center"

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Shin Dong-ho] Jang Jae-sung, preliminary candidate for the Democratic Party of Korea for Gwangju Metropolitan City Council, Seo-gu District 1 (Yang-dong, Yang 3-dong, Nongsung 1·2-dong, Hwajeong 1·2-dong), announced on the 27th, "We will establish a public postpartum care center in Seo-gu to promote the health of mothers and newborns, create a favorable environment for childbirth and childcare, and reduce the burden of childbirth and parenting on families."

Postpartum care centers have naturally emerged reflecting Korea's traditional postpartum care culture, and have steadily increased as it has become difficult to provide postpartum care at home due to factors such as the nuclear family structure.

Currently, there are a total of seven postpartum care centers in Gwangju Metropolitan City: one in Seo-gu, one in Nam-gu, four in Buk-gu, and one in Gwangsan-gu.

As of the end of December 2021, the average usage fee for a two-week stay at postpartum care centers in Gwangju Metropolitan City was 2.29 million KRW for a standard room and 3.06 million KRW for a special room, which is a considerable amount.

Additionally, there is a significant price gap between postpartum care centers. For a standard room, the lowest fee is 1.68 million KRW, and the highest fee is 2.64 million KRW, a difference of 960,000 KRW.

In reality, due to the difficulties of childbirth, parenting, childcare, education, and employment, many choose not to have children, and 75.1% of mothers receive postpartum care services through postpartum care centers immediately after childbirth.

Preliminary candidate Jang Jae-sung stated, "All mothers and babies should receive appropriate care," and added, "We will overcome the low birthrate issue by implementing services such as dispatching newborn helpers and maternal care services so that mothers can prepare for the post-childbirth period with peace of mind."

Meanwhile, preliminary candidate Jang Jae-sung served as a member of the Gwangju Metropolitan City Low Birthrate Countermeasures Committee, working with committee members to identify causes of low birthrate and propose policies, striving to promote health management for mothers and newborns and foster a childbirth-friendly atmosphere in Gwangju Metropolitan City.

Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Shin Dong-ho sdhs6751@asiae.co.kr