[Anchor Lead]
The government estimates that there are over 23,000 unwed mothers in South Korea. Single moms don't have good access to welfare benefits, and face discrimination and prejudice in their daily lives.
[Pkg]
Mi-seon's due date is fast approaching. She is an unwed pregnant woman, neglected by the baby's father and even by her family. She is worried about where and how to give birth and raise her baby. Is she eligible for help from the local government?
[Soundbite] (00 District Office Employee (Voice modified)) : "Where can I ask about policies for unwed mothers? (Not here. You can ask the local clinic.)"
So she goes to the local clinic.
[Soundbite] (00 Clinic Employee (Voice modified)) : "The district office told me to come here. (They told you that because they had no idea.)"
Now she visits the local community service center.
[Soundbite] (00 Community Service Center Employee (Voice modified)) : "Community centers don't have measures for unwed mothers, but public clinics do."
In 2006, the government set up measures and invested a budget of 100 trillion won to solve Korea's low birthrate problem. But nowhere could Mi-seon find an organization that could help her. Times have changed, but most Koreans still regard out-of-wedlock childbirths as deviant behavior. Grandparents raising their grandchildren, single-parent families, and unwed families. How Koreans come to have and raise children has changed considerably over the years, but children born out of wedlock still have to endure harsh prejudices.
