Six in 10 births at Asan Medical Center over past 3 years involve high-risk pregnancies, serious fetal conditions
Published: 19 Feb. 2026, 17:57
![Prof. Won Hye-sung, second from left, of the hospital’s department of obstetrics and gynecology, performs the hospital's 300th delivery of the month in January. [ASAN MEDICAL CENTER]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/02/19/50cf5ab3-81fc-4ef9-b85b-444051fae357.jpg)
Prof. Won Hye-sung, second from left, of the hospital’s department of obstetrics and gynecology, performs the hospital's 300th delivery of the month in January. [ASAN MEDICAL CENTER]
Almost six in 10 births at Asan Medical Center over the past three years involved high-risk pregnancies or serious fetal conditions, the hospital said Thursday.
Of the 6,999 deliveries carried out between 2023 and 2025 at the hospital in southern Seoul, 4,163 cases, or 59.5 percent, fell into high-risk categories, including severe preeclampsia and fetal abnormalities.
The hospital reported 461 cases of preterm labor and 723 cases of preterm premature rupture of membranes during the period. It also treated 288 cases of severe preeclampsia, 51 cases of placental abruption and 468 cases of placenta previa.
Other complicated cases included 155 instances of abnormal amniotic fluid levels, 163 cases of cervical incompetence and 298 cases of intrauterine growth restriction.
Severe fetal anomalies accounted for 1,517 cases over the three years.
“Conditions such as congenital heart defects or congenital diaphragmatic hernia require accurate prenatal diagnosis and immediate emergency treatment after birth,” the hospital said. “These figures show that Asan Medical Center carries out a significant portion of the country’s most critical fetal treatments.”
![A JoongAng Ilbo article published on Dec. 18, 2025, tells the story of Park Seo-rin, who was born with hypoplastic heart syndrome. [JOONGANG ILBO]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/02/19/e5fd4440-995e-49f7-8ac0-2a247c2e09a1.jpg)
A JoongAng Ilbo article published on Dec. 18, 2025, tells the story of Park Seo-rin, who was born with hypoplastic heart syndrome. [JOONGANG ILBO]
Among the cases were a baby born with ectopia cordis, in which the heart develops outside the body; a child with a complex congenital heart defect whose heart measured about the size of a thumb; and an infant born weighing 288 grams (10.2 ounces), the lowest birth weight recorded in Korea. All were discharged after receiving treatment.
The hospital averaged 200 deliveries per month during the three-year period, the highest among Korea’s five largest hospitals. In January, monthly deliveries reached 329, the highest on record for the hospital.
The hospital compared the figure with around 200 high-risk deliveries per month at the Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins Hospital, and about 300 at Massachusetts General Hospital in the United States.
The Seoul hospital attributed the volume of complex cases to its fetal treatment center, which opened in 2004 as the first of its kind in Korea, and to a multidisciplinary system that brings together obstetricians, neonatologists and other specialists.
“Reaching 300 deliveries in a single month marks a meaningful achievement made possible by the unwavering dedication of medical staff who refused to give up on precious lives,” said Won Hye-sung, head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Asan Medical Center. “We will continue to strengthen collaboration with related departments and further advance our fetal treatment center to enhance our expertise in high-risk deliveries.”
![Obstetrics and gynecology staff at the Asan Medical Center in Songpa District, southern Seoul, pose for a commemorative photo. [ASAN MEDICAL CENTER]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/02/19/efbcec35-aa17-4812-8353-074d574fae1e.jpg)
Obstetrics and gynecology staff at the Asan Medical Center in Songpa District, southern Seoul, pose for a commemorative photo. [ASAN MEDICAL CENTER]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHAE HYE-SEON [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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