Mothers of 13 kids honored by government

The Ministry of Health and Welfare recently gave awards to two Korean mothers who gave birth to 13 children, including the mother of actress Nam Bo-ra, who is well-known for being the oldest of her 13 siblings.

Eom Gye-suk, 60, was given the Seongnyu Medal, the fifth grade of the Order of Civil Merit given to those to recognize contributions to the country and welfare of the people with their outstanding accomplishments in the field of politics, economics, society, education or academics. She gave birth to five sons and eight daughters, from 1986 to her youngest child's birth in 2007.

"After repeating pregnancy and childbirth for over 20 years, there were some difficulties, but thanks to my children who have grown up well, I think I have more happy moments than others," she said in the award ceremony at the Glad Hotel in Yeouido, Seoul, last Thursday, in an event commemorating the 19th annual Pregnant Women's Day. About 150 pregnant women and their family members attended the event.

She has emphasized the importance and childbirth and fostering children through lectures and her book about the story of her family, which she published in 2011. Nine of her older children currently have jobs, with two in college and two in high school.

Another Korean mother of 13 children was commended in the ceremony, Lee Yeong-mi, 59 -- the mother of Nam Bo-ra -- who received the Civil Merit Medal. The medal is also given to people with contributions in the aforementioned fields, along with those who risked their lives to save others, who made significant donations or those who devoted their lives to the public service.

Lee, who gave birth 13 times from age 23 until the age of 44, helped raise her children to contribute in numerous sectors of society. The most well-known of her children is the veteran actress, who is the oldest of her siblings, but the others include an artist, a bank employee, a researcher and a dental hygienist, with the youngest still in middle school.

“Compared to the 1980s and 2000s when I gave birth and raised my children, there have been many policies to support childbirth and childrearing, but when I hear from people around me, there are still many shortcomings," she said.

“We desperately need a workplace culture where people can use child care leave without worrying about what others think, and support for self-employed people who do not have child care leave and cannot take time off from work," she added.

Lee also is engaged in various activities such as being a member of a parents group and the Childbirth Promotion Association.