Premarital pregnancy becoming more common

Travel agencies promote ‘babymoon' packages for newlyweds

By Park Jin-hai, Yoon Sung-won, and Kwon Ji-youn

People say the biggest blessing that results from marriage is the birth of a child. The assumption is that only wedded couples have the "legitimate" right to have children.

But not anymore ― at least for younger generations.

Celebrity couples such as actor Jang Dong-gun and his wife Ko So-young, and Kim Seung-woo and Kim Nam-joo, have admitted they walked down the aisle with the brides pregnant.

Actress Kim Bu-sun goes as far as to say she approves of premarital pregnancy.

"My premarital pregnancy was the best thing that ever happened to me," Kim says. "If my daughter becomes pregnant, I will host a party in her honor."

She believes people should embrace single mothers, whom she considers a minority in need of attention and care.

But premarital pregnancy is now humdrum, even among people who are not stars.

In a survey that consultancy Duo Wed conducted between June 1 and June 14, one-third of 374 newlyweds questioned said the bride was pregnant when they married.

Of these couples, 92.1 percent said their babies were unexpected.

Pregnancy before marriage influences the marriage itself.

Asked about the advantages of premarital pregnancy, 57.8 percent of those surveyed said it gave them a sense of confidence and building a family. They said they felt a surge of responsibility and became determined to protect their child and family.

Kim Hyun-jeong, 34, is a pregnant bride-to-be. The office worker, who is 14 weeks into her pregnancy, plans to marry in September.

"The most difficult part was breaking the news to my parents," she says. "I was expecting a proposal anyway. I guess it sped up our marriage plans, but otherwise, we weren't too surprised or worried."

Kim is one of many who believe premarital pregnancy is a new trend, and that people no longer point fingers.

"Most people wouldn't have even noticed had I kept my pregnancy secret," she says. "But I didn't think it was something to hide. It's a beautiful thing to happen in life."

Others are beginning to feel the same way, celebrating the baby and the mother for their gift to society.

This comes amid efforts to increase Korea's chronically low birth rate, which has been falling since the 1980s as more and more couples choose economic stability over marriage.

So, if they are going to marry anyway, why put it off?

"Many Koreans fear bearing a child at an older age," says bride-to-be Seong, 38. "I'm almost 40. I didn't want to put it off any further, so we tried to get a baby on the way as soon as we felt we were ready to make that commitment."

But a common, rather traditional, notion among many unmarried pregnant women is their determination to be married to the child's father, and no one else.

Kim and Seong say they do not mind being pregnant before marriage as long as they can walk down the aisle with the father before the child is born.

"But I think it becomes a different situation if either of the parents is unwilling to provide the child with a family," Seong adds.

Changing perceptions on premarital pregnancy are also affecting other related industries: wedding dress rentals and tourism businesses.

A wedding dress shop director says she has recently noticed more pregnant brides-to-be.

"They look for dresses depending on the number of months they are pregnant," says Seo Jung-wook, director of Pertelei, in Cheongdam-dong, southern Seoul.

"Women who are three to five months pregnant fit well into a bell-line dress, while those further into their pregnancy often look good in an empire-lined dress."

Other dress shops have their own selections of "D-line dresses" in stock because of increased demand.

"Because so many customers are pregnant, we have a somewhat weighty selection of dresses that cover up the tummy," says Song Jeoung-in, deputy director of wedding dress boutique Dejenie.

"Back when there were only one or two pregnant brides, we custom-made their dresses and they would have to buy them.

"But now, since we have such dresses, customers can rent them without paying extra for customization, additional length, and so forth."

Brides are advised to wear dresses that are shorter than normal, because tripping over can be very dangerous for the baby as well as the mother.

The dresses are often hemmed at the ankles, and pregnant brides are discouraged from wearing heels.

Brides are not only prone to falling when they wear heels, but can also damage their back, ankles and feet. The women must keep in mind the extra weight they are carrying down the aisle.

Doctors say high heels changes the posture, which can cause knee pain and backache.
The tourism industry is also catching up with the trend. Instead of honeymoons, travel operators promote "babymoon" programs for pregnant newlyweds.

These programs avoid placing any burden or stress on the baby or the mother.

Kim Jin-hak, representative director of Honey Island, a tourism agency specializing in services for newlyweds, says the agency's "babymoon" program is popular with brides.

"In the ‘babymoon' program, pregnant brides can rest comfortably while getting a massage or sailing in a yacht," Kim says.

"Also, tourism sites like Guam, Saipan and Cebu are the most sought-after destinations because it takes less than five hours to get there by plane and pregnant women are often discouraged from flying.

Kim says that although most pregnant brides hesitate in selecting the "babymoon" program because they hope to avoid disclosing their pregnancy, others lie so they can fly to destinations further away.

But Kim emphasizes that mothers should be careful about flying for long hours, because it can endanger the baby.

"But as premarital pregnancy becomes less scandalous, many choose such ("babymoon") programs to take extra care of their babies," he says.

Kim says couples can choose from many programs, which usually avoid tours and extra activities. Instead, the programs focus on rest and relaxation, including massages that benefit the mother and the baby.