Post by Ferring Pharmaceuticals

We’re proud to mark an important milestone in advancing fertility-inclusive workplaces. Building on our global white paper, Infertility and family-building: bridging the gap in workplace mental health support, we are now taking the first step toward developing a Korea-specific edition. Korea has been central to shaping this work from the outset. The global white paper, developed in collaboration with leading experts, including Professor Lee Jeong-ryeol of Seoul National University, features Korean data. It detailed that 1 in 6 newborns in Seoul are born through fertility treatment, with a 50% increase in fertility treatment between 2018 and 2022. As the white paper outlined: “This underscores the growing need for recognition and support of the diverse routes and structures through which families are formed today.” At a kick-off event hosted by the Embassy of Denmark in Korea, we met with United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and key Korean stakeholders – including the Presidential Committee on Ageing Society & Population Policy, the Ministry of Employment & Labor, the Ministry of Health & Welfare, and the Korean Association of Infertility Patients – to begin translating these global insights into locally relevant action for Korea. Alongside our role as Champion and co‑chair of the UNFPA Coalition for Reproductive Justice in Business, this initiative aims to support employers and policy makers to build more inclusive, compassionate workplaces in Korea, where every path to family-building is recognised and supported. After all, fertility challenges are not just a healthcare issue, they are a workplace reality.