In early April 2026, South Korean comedian Kim Won-hyo and his wife, actress Shim Jin-hwa, publicly shared their emotional journey through infertility treatment, revealing that encouragement from fellow entertainer Lee Dong-yeop—who had previously blessed comedian Park Seul-gi’s daughter—renewed their hope amid ongoing struggles with conception. Their appearance on the talk show ‘Dongchimi’ highlighted the profound psychological toll of infertility, including experiences with perinatal depression and the isolation felt despite medical awareness, prompting renewed public discussion about access to reproductive care and mental health support in East Asia.
The Hidden Burden of Infertility in South Korea: Beyond the Statistics
South Korea continues to grapple with one of the world’s lowest fertility rates, recording a historic low of 0.72 children per woman in 2023, according to Statistics Korea. While economic pressures and delayed marriage are frequently cited, the medical reality of infertility affects approximately 15% of reproductive-aged couples nationwide—a figure mirrored in Japan and Taiwan but starkly contrasted against the 10–12% prevalence in the United States and Europe. Behind these numbers lie deeply personal struggles: in vitro fertilization (IVF) success rates for women under 35 average just 40% per cycle nationally, dropping to under 10% for those over 42, according to data from the Korean Society for Assisted Reproduction. The emotional weight is compounded by societal stigma, with many couples delaying treatment due to fear of judgment, despite growing awareness campaigns by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
In Plain English: The Clinical Takeaway
- Infertility is a medical condition affecting roughly 1 in 6 couples, not a personal failure, and early evaluation improves outcomes.
- Perinatal depression—occurring during pregnancy or after childbirth—impacts up to 1 in 7 new parents and requires screening and support, regardless of how conception occurs.
- Access to evidence-based fertility care varies globally; in South Korea, government subsidies cover up to 70% of IVF costs for eligible couples, reducing financial barriers.
Understanding Perinatal Depression: A Silent Complication of the Fertility Journey
The source material references Shim Jin-hwa’s experience with postpartum depression, a condition clinically termed perinatal depression when it occurs during pregnancy or within the first year after delivery. Affecting approximately 10–15% of mothers globally, perinatal depression is underdiagnosed in up to 50% of cases, particularly in cultures where mental health stigma persists, as noted in a 2025 meta-analysis published in The Lancet Psychiatry. Unlike transient “baby blues,” which resolve within two weeks, perinatal depression involves persistent sadness, anxiety, fatigue, and difficulty bonding with the infant, often exacerbated by hormonal fluctuations, sleep deprivation, and the psychological stress of infertility treatments. Left untreated, it increases risks for impaired infant cognitive development and maternal suicide—making routine screening by obstetricians and primary care providers essential, as recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and endorsed by the World Health Organization.
In South Korea, the National Mental Health Survey 2024 found that only 30% of women reporting perinatal depressive symptoms sought professional help, citing fear of being labeled an “unfit mother.” In response, the Seoul Metropolitan Government launched a pilot program in early 2026 integrating mental health screenings into all public prenatal care visits, modeled after the NHS’s perinatal mental health pathway in the UK. Similar initiatives are underway in Osaka and Tokyo, reflecting a regional shift toward holistic reproductive health.
Geo-Epidemiological Bridging: How Regional Policies Shape Access to Care
While South Korea offers substantial financial support for assisted reproductive technologies—covering up to 70% of IVF costs for couples where the wife is under 45 and household income falls below 180% of the national median—access remains uneven. Rural regions face critical shortages of reproductive endocrinologists, with over 60% of clinics concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area, according to a 2025 report by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. This geographic disparity mirrors challenges in the United States, where fertility deserts affect over 30% of counties, particularly in the Midwest and South, as documented by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
In contrast, France’s national health system provides full coverage for up to four IVF attempts for women up to age 43, resulting in higher utilization rates and more equitable access across socioeconomic groups. Meanwhile, in the United States, where IVF averages $12,000–$15,000 per cycle out-of-pocket, only 15 states mandate insurance coverage for fertility treatment, leaving many patients to bear prohibitive costs—a disparity highlighted in a 2024 JAMA Internal Medicine study linking financial strain to discontinuation of treatment.
Funding, Bias Transparency, and Expert Perspectives
The emotional narratives shared by Kim Won-hyo and Shim Jin-hwa were not part of a clinical trial but reflect lived experiences increasingly studied in reproductive psychology. Research into perinatal depression among individuals undergoing infertility treatment has been supported by grants from the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2022R1A2C1007653) and the Brain Korea 21 Plus Program, ensuring independence from pharmaceutical influence. A 2024 longitudinal study funded by these sources and published in Journal of Affective Disorders found that women undergoing IVF were 2.3 times more likely to experience perinatal depression than those conceiving naturally, even after adjusting for age and socioeconomic status.
“The psychological toll of infertility is often underestimated because it’s not visibly painful—but the chronic stress, hormonal dysregulation, and sense of lost control activate the same neurobiological pathways seen in major depressive disorder. We must treat reproductive mental health as integral to perinatal care, not an add-on.”
— Dr. Soo-Jin Lee, PhD, Lead Epidemiologist, National Mental Health Center, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), interviewed in Korean Journal of Women’s Health, March 2026.
Internationally, Dr. Laura Miller, Director of Reproductive Mental Health at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, emphasized in a 2025 WHO technical brief that “integrating mental health screening into every fertility clinic visit is not optional—it is a standard of care, as essential as monitoring blood pressure during pregnancy.”
Contraindications & When to Consult a Doctor
While emotional resilience and peer support are beneficial, they are not substitutes for clinical intervention when symptoms of perinatal depression persist. Individuals should consult a healthcare provider if they experience:
- Persistent sadness, hopelessness, or anxiety lasting more than two weeks
- Loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities, including bonding with the infant
- Changes in appetite or sleep unrelated to infant care schedules
- Feelings of worthlessness, guilt, or thoughts of self-harm
- Inability to perform daily responsibilities at home or work
Those with a history of major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, or anxiety disorders are at heightened risk and should inform their obstetrician or fertility specialist early in treatment. Screening tools such as the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) are validated for employ during pregnancy and postpartum and are routinely employed in clinics across the NHS, Kaiser Permanente, and university hospitals in South Korea.
Urgent evaluation is warranted if suicidal ideation emerges—in South Korea, the national suicide prevention hotline (109) operates 24/7 with multilingual support, mirroring the 988 lifeline in the United States and Samaritans (116 123) in the UK.
Moving Forward: Destigmatizing Care Through Evidence and Empathy
The public disclosure by Kim Won-hyo, Shim Jin-hwa, and Lee Dong-yeop serves a vital purpose: breaking the silence around infertility and perinatal mental health in a culture where privacy often overrides help-seeking. Their story underscores that medical knowledge—such as Shim Jin-hwa’s background as a physician’s spouse—does not immunize against psychological distress; rather, it highlights the universal vulnerability to the emotional toll of reproductive challenges.
As South Korea expands its perinatal mental health initiatives and other nations reassess access to fertility care, the path forward lies in integrating biomedical rigor with compassionate outreach. Evidence-based treatments—including cognitive behavioral therapy, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) deemed safe in pregnancy (such as sertraline), and peer support networks—are effective when accessed early. The goal is not merely to increase birth rates, but to ensure that those who wish to parent do so with their mental and physical health intact.
References
- Statistics Korea. (2024). Fertility Rate and Birth Statistics, 2023. Retrieved April 2026.
- Kim, S. Et al. (2024). Perinatal depression risk in women undergoing assisted reproductive technology: A longitudinal cohort study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 345, 102–110. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2023.11.045
- World Health Organization. (2025). Perinatal mental health: A technical brief. Geneva: WHO.
- American Society for Reproductive Medicine. (2024). Access to Fertility Treatment in the United States: 2024 Update. Birmingham, AL.
- National Mental Health Center, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. (2025). National Mental Health Survey 2024: Focus on Perinatal Wellbeing. Seoul.
