South Korean Parents Splash Out for Babies' First Birthdays, Doljanchi

• Report rights infringement
• published: 09 Jan 2014
• views: 5526

Lavish parties have become the tradition for celebrating a baby's first birthday in South Korea, where in the past, disease and starvation claimed so many lives that the passing of an infant's first year was a major milestone. Full Story: It takes a lot more than a cake and a song to celebrate a baby's first birthday—or "doljanchi"—in South Korea, where in the past disease and starvation claimed so many infant lives. The first birthday is now an event where affluent parents in one of the world's richest countries flaunt their wealth, connections and even their offspring's gilded career prospects at lavish parties. At one party in Apgujeong, one-year-old Kim Dot-byul peers down at a tray of items symbolizing various professions—a stethoscope for a doctor, a gavel for a judge, and a golf ball for a golf player. Dressed in a white gown, with every moment captured by a professional photographer, she pauses for a gurgle before wrapping her tiny hands around a golf ball—meaning she "will" be a golfer. [Kim Jae-yeon, Mother]: "We can hold low-key celebrations for her second, third and future birthdays, but for the very first, I wanted to throw this party to show Dot-byul that everyone came here today to bless you." As fewer South Koreans marry and more women pursue careers, the country's birthrate has plummeted, making a child a precious commodity. Song Jae-ryong, a Sociology professor from Kyunghee University warns that the pressure to throw such an expensive party can unnecessarily burden parents. [Prof. Song Jae-ryong, Sociology, Kyunghee University]: "Some people end up having large financial burdens as they spend more money than their means, to show that they are different from the others. It also adds some negative aspects to society as it can foster an atmosphere of social disharmony." There is now a cottage industry to tap into the money spent on the first birthday celebrations. In 2010, Kim Eun-hee, started a doljanchi planning business. [Kim Eun-hee, doljanchi Planner]: "I threw a low-key one for my own daughter. I also skipped it (hiring a photographer) as our decorated table was a small one. But it hurt me when she saw me sifting through the photo I took of other babies' first birthdays, and asked me why she has no such photos." She says the cost of throwing the doljanchi can range between three-thousand to 10-thousand dollars. For more news and videos visit ☛ http://ntdtv.org Follow us on Twitter ☛ http://twitter.com/NTDTelevision Add us on Facebook ☛ http://on.fb.me/s5KV2C