Cheong Wa Dae seeks fairer priority system for postpartum care centers

Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday it will consider revising the law to ensure greater fairness and rationality in prioritizing access to postpartum care centers. Postpartum care centers, where new mothers stay and recover after childbirth, are popular in South Korea. Those subsidized by local governments, in particular, face intense competition for reservations because they charge relatively low fees. The issue drew media attention after President Lee Jae Myung shared an online community post on his X account Wednesday, which questioned whether mothers from multicultural families and mothers recognized as persons of national merit should be placed in the same second-priority category for reservations at Seoul-style postpartum care centers. Lee said the government would conduct an in-depth review, including consultations with local governments and possible legal amendments, to determine whether there is a compelling need to provide multicultural families with preferential treatment. In response, Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday it would consider revising the enforcement decree of the Mother and Chil