Pregnant Women Getting More Money?

I had no idea that pregnant women in South Korea get any sort of government funds for having babies.  It really is not that much (to justify or offset the enormous costs of having a child), but it is probably more meant to be a nice gesture.

I think in Western society, this kind of payment for getting pregnant of only a couple hundred dollars would be seen as awkward or insulting.  But it actually remains consistent with Korean (and Asian) culture of giving money for special occasions.  At weddings, graduations, and other special events, Koreans mostly do not buy gifts, and they just give money.

The title of the article was actually "Allowance for Women Pregnant with Twins to Rise."

Government support for women pregnant with twins will increase from July as more women have twins. The Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs on Wednesday announced a W700,000 (US$1=W1,126) prenatal allowance for women who are pregnant with two or more babies. 

Currently, all pregnant women are given a W400,000 prenatal allowance, which will rise to W500,000 on April 1. But pregnant women expecting twins will get an additional W200,000 from July due to the increasing number of twin or triplet pregnancies as a result of growing recourse to fertility treatment, which boosts the chances of multiple pregnancies. 

According to Statistics Korea, the proportion of twins among newborns has grown over 60 percent over the last decade, from 1.69 out of 100 in 2000 to 2.74 in 2010. 

A Health Ministry official said the new measure takes into account that women who expect twins face higher prenatal care costs.

More twins!  Fun stuff!