Bio Business Claim... Surrogate Mother Laboratory Found in Building Basement Causes Stir

Bio Company in Basement of Trade Mall in Shandong, China
Turns Out to Be Surrogate Mother Business Laboratory Site
Birth Cost 140 Million KRW...Under Public Security Investigation

Amid ongoing concerns about surrogate motherhood in China, a report has emerged revealing that a company has been operating a surrogacy business underground to evade the authorities, causing shock. On the 26th, Henan TV reported, "A high-end surrogacy laboratory was hidden underground in an almost abandoned automobile trade market in Qingdao, Shandong Province." The company outwardly displayed a bio-enterprise sign but was found to have been running a surrogacy business there for a long time. The surrogacy laboratory site alone covered an area of 800㎡, making it the largest in northern China.

The company was operated on a small scale with 5 to 6 employees and reportedly recruited clients and surrogate candidates through an online platform. Surrogates received 750,000 yuan (approximately 140 million KRW) for carrying one child, and clients who wanted to determine the child's gender were charged an additional 200,000 yuan (about 37.4 million KRW). A source told Henan TV, “Hospital doctors colluded with the surrogacy company to perform illegal procedures such as egg retrieval and implantation in the laboratory, charging 1,500 yuan (280,000 KRW) per session.”

In response, the Qingdao Municipal Health Commission stated, “We immediately formed a joint investigation team with the public security and other departments to investigate the matter,” adding, “If confirmed, strict action will be taken according to the law.”

Surrogacy is illegal in China, but due to high demand from infertility and other reasons, related businesses are rampant. In December last year, surrogacy services were exposed in an office labeled “Reproductive Health Consulting” in Nanning, Guangxi Province. Surrogates were mainly university students, clients could directly select surrogates, and the entire pregnancy process could be monitored. The cost was 760,000 yuan (about 130 million KRW), and 880,000 yuan (about 160 million KRW) if gender selection was requested.

Additionally, in March, a housekeeping management company headquartered in Henan Province caused controversy by advertising surrogacy online, stating, “Surrogates under 28 years old can receive 220,000 yuan (about 40 million KRW), and women aged 29 to 30 can receive 210,000 yuan (38 million KRW).”