Postnatal care centers in Seoul’s glitzy Gangnam district charge new mothers as much as 20 million won ($17,500) for a standard two-week stay, data revealed Monday.
Postpartum care centers are where many South Korean new mothers and their babies head after being discharged from the hospital. There, in a luxury hotel-like setting, mothers focus on regaining strength and lactation while infants are taken care of by professionals.
The Health Ministry data released by Rep. Nam In-soon of the Minjoo Party of Korea on Monday showed that seven out of eight centers that charge more than 10 million won were located in Gangnam.
The average standard price was 3.02 million won in Seoul, followed by 2.41 million won in Ulsan and 2.3 million won in Daejeon. In South Jeolla Province and South Gyeongsang Province, the average fee was 1.67 million won and 1.66 million won.
The cheapest center in the country costs 700,000 won, as of June, the data showed.
The total number of postpartum care centers jumped from 478 in 2012 to the current 612 in Korea.
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koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
