An Overview of Family Planning in Korea (1961-l978)

ABSTRACT

In recent decades it has been proved that the success or failure of family planning program in developing countries has tremendous impact on the improvement of health, welfare, as well as the general socio-economic development. Therefore it is worth giving a review of family planning in Korea during the last two decades. We are happy to credit the voluntary leaders, particular1y from the public health sector of universities, who played a key pioneering role in the initiation of the organized effort and for the continued leadership in the development of the national program. The organization of 17,000 village level family planning mothers' clubs in 1968 is one of the most outstanding innovative achievements. Despite such long standing problems as very poor morale of the family planning workers, poor national health care network, and stubborn preference for boys, Korea has been fairly successful in achieving the demographic objectives by reducing the total fertility rate from 6.0 in 1960 to 2.7 in 1968, and by increasing the rate of family planning practice from 9% in 1964 to 49% in 1978.