A public promise to support mothers even after childbirth

"We will continue this warm companionship."

Siheung has opened its first public postpartum care center, aiming to support mothers' healthy recovery and newborns' safe care as a shared public responsibility.

Located on the third and fourth floors of a building at 34 Daeya-ro in Siheung, the 797.68-square-meter facility has 13 rooms for new mothers — 12 general rooms and one for mothers with disabilities. It opened on Saturday and is run by Azur852 The Angjeuro Postpartum Care Center, the commissioned operator, with a staff of 25 — one director, six nurses, 10 nursing assistants, and eight kitchen and cleaning staff.

Eligibility is split evenly, with half of the slots reserved for mothers with two or more children, including mothers of twins or other multiples. The other half is reserved for mothers from vulnerable groups.

Vulnerable groups include recipients of basic livelihood security and near-poverty support, people with disabilities and their spouses, pregnant women from multicultural families, pregnant women covered under the Single-Parent Family Support Act, and North Korean defectors and their spouses. They also include recipients of merit recognition for the May 18 Democratization Movement and their bereaved families, pregnant women with rare and incurable diseases designated under the Enforcement Decree of the Medical Care Assistance Act, and families with a distinguished history of military service.

Usage fees are 420,000 won ($310) for one week, 600,000 won for 10 days, and 840,000 won for two weeks — a 50 percent discount from the standard rate set by city ordinance. Mothers of twins receive an additional 30 percent off the discounted rate.

Siheung enacted an ordinance on the establishment, operation and support of public-type postpartum care centers in March 2024. It broke ground on the renovation and expansion of the facility in September 2025, and completed construction and received occupancy approval in January 2026.

The city then signed an agreement in April with the commissioned operator to run the center, and last month opened the reservation and selection process for mothers.

The city took reservations starting Aug. 24 from mothers expected to give birth between Sept. 21 and Nov. 30. September had 10 slots but drew 17 applicants, while October and November, each offering 18 slots, drew 50 and 42 applicants, respectively.

Siheung's public postpartum care center accepts online reservations each month from the 25th to the 30th, from mothers expected to give birth three months later, through the Siheung Public Postpartum Care Center website. It then selects recipients through an automatic lottery program. In September, mothers expected to give birth in December are eligible.

"The public postpartum care center carries added meaning as a public promise to jointly support mothers and newborns even after childbirth," said Lee Hyung-jung, director of Siheung's public health center. "We will ease the financial burden on families with newborns and create a city environment favorable to having and raising children by providing safer, more professional postpartum care services."

Inquiries about Siheung's public postpartum care center can be directed to the Childbirth Policy Team of the Health Policy Division at the Siheung Public Health Center.


pjh@heraldcorp.com