South Korea childcare and postpartum care shortages

South Korea is facing significant challenges regarding childcare and maternal support infrastructure. Data indicates that despite a declining birth rate, the national average waiting period for daycare enrollment rose to 7.5 months as of June 2024, up from 5.3 months in late 2022. The shortage is most severe for 1-year-old classes, particularly in public centers where waits average 10.6 months. This trend is driven by the closure of over 11,000 daycare centers nationwide, primarily due to declining child populations and management difficulties.

In addition to daycare shortages, the country is experiencing a scarcity of public postpartum care centers. Only 29 out of 480 facilities nationwide are classified as public, leading to high costs at private centers. Several major cities, including Busan, Daegu, Incheon, Gwangju, Daejeon, and Sejong, currently lack any public postpartum care facilities. While legislative proposals seek to mandate the establishment of these centers through national subsidies, government agencies have expressed caution regarding the financial impact on local municipalities and the private sector.