"Thirteen is caesarean section, but I'm still grateful"...Order of Merit for the People of 13 Siblings and Mothers

Family of Eom Gye-sook awarded the Order of Merit for National Merit / Courtesy of Eom Gye-sook

Eom Gye-sook (60), who gave birth to and raised 13 siblings after marriage, received the National Medal of Merit at the "Pregnant Women's Day" event on the 10th.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare held an event to celebrate the 18th Pregnant Women's Day at the Glad Hotel in Yeouido, Seoul on the 10th and awarded the National Medal of Merit to Eom, a mother of 13 siblings.

um married her husband Kim Seok-tae (65), a pastor, in 1986. After that, until 2007, when the youngest was born, he gave birth to a brother and a sister aged one to three and raised them. My eldest daughter and youngest daughter are 20 years old, and nine of my children are currently working, two are college students and two are high school students. The second and third got married, and they had three grandchildren, so they recently became grandmothers.

The Um couple released a book, 'I love you, I'm happy, thank you,' that tells the story of their families in 2011. Eom said in the book, "I had morning sickness for 10 months, and I was most envious of the mothers who didn't even know what morning sickness was. I had no choice but to perform a caesarean section on the 13th to see if I was not accustomed to pain even if I gave birth. Still, I'm grateful. He recalled his pregnancy, saying, "You allowed me to be healthy and entrusted me with 13 children."Mr.

Um was awarded the medal in recognition of his contribution to spreading the value of childbirth and parenting through various lecture activities.

Lee Young-mi (59), who is the mother of actor Nam Bo-ra and raised 13 siblings like Um, also received the national prize on the same day. Lee grew his children into celebrities, dental hygienists, artists, bankers, and doctors.

Lee Young-mi's first pregnancy was at the age of 23, and her last pregnancy was at the age of 44. "Compared to the 1980s and 2000s when I gave birth and raised children, there are many policies to support childbirth and rearing, but listening to the stories around me, I still lack a lot," Lee said, adding, "I think there is a desperate need for support for self-employed people who do not have parental leave and cannot take time off from work."

Reporter Park Sun-young of Digital News Team