One among the various socioeconomic effects of Korea’s persisted low fertility rate is the erosion of OBGYN infrastructure. The rate of closure for OBGYN hospitals and clinics, according to the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee (2013), has increased from 1.19 percent in 2009 to 2.17 percent in the first half of 2013, with the number of new obstetricians declining year after year. Also, the number of OBGYN specialists per 1,000 newborns as of June 2013 was 11.79, fewer by 1.14 than the average of 28 OECD countries. Despite the declining number of newborns, however, the number of high-risk pregnancies and births of late has increased. According to Statistics Korea, preterm newborns—babies born before 37 weeks of pregnancy—as a share of all newborns grew to 6.7 percent in 2014 from 3.8 percent in 2004. Also, the proportion of babies born weighing less than 2,500 grams increased over the same period from 4.1 percent to 5.7 percent. All this suggests the need for further consideration of not only the quantity of OBGYN facilities but their quality and regional distribution. This study looks at the regional distribution of OBGYN care facilities and draws implications for changes needed.
