THE Health and Welfare Ministry recently gave awards to two women who each gave birth to 13 children.
Eom Gye-suk, 60, was awarded the Seongnyu Medal, the fifth grade of the Order of Civil Merit given to those who contribute to the country with their outstanding accomplishments in politics, economics, society, education or academics.
She gave birth to five sons and eight daughters between 1986 and 2007.
“After repeating pregnancy and childbirth for over 20 years, there were some difficulties. But thanks to my children who have grown up well, I think I have more happy moments than others,” she said at the award ceremony in the Glad Hotel in Yeouido, Seoul, on Oct 10, in an event commemorating the 19th annual Pregnant Women’s Day. About 150 pregnant women and their family members attended the event.
Eom has emphasised the importance of childbirth and fostering children through lectures and her book about the story of her family, which she published in 2011.
Nine of her older children currently have jobs, with two in college and two in high school.
Lee Yeong-mi, 59, is the other Korean mother commended in the ceremony.
The mother of 13 received the Civil Merit Medal, which is given to people who contribute to the country through their accomplishments and donations, those who risk their lives to save others and those who devote their lives to the public service.
Lee, who gave birth 13 times from the age of 23 till she was 44, raised her children to contribute in numerous sectors of the society.The most well-known of her children is actress Nam Bo-ra.
The others include an artist, a bank employee, a researcher and a dental hygienist, with the youngest still in middle school.
“Compared with the 1980s and 2000s when I gave birth and raised my children, there have been many policies to support childbirth and childrearing. But when I hear from people around me, there are still many shortcomings,” she said.
“We desperately need a workplace culture where people can use childcare leave without worrying about what others think, and give support to self-employed people who do not have childcare leave and cannot take time off from work,” she added.
South Korea’s fertility rate – the number of children a woman has within her lifetime – hit a record quarterly low of 0.76 in the first quarter of 2024.
President Yoon Suk-yeol had declared a “national emergency on population” in June as he announced the government’s plans to expand cash support for newborns and other measures to reverse the declining birth rate trend. — The Korea Herald/ANN
