According to the Kyunghyang Shinmun, the society said on-call and treatment systems have hit their limit with no incoming residents - 'the generational line of residents has been severed' - and demanded emergency government measures.

NICUs are the last line protecting premature and critically ill newborns; with pediatric and obstetric infrastructure shrinking, transfer distances keep growing in the regions.

The paradox of low fertility

The fewer the births, the more concentrated and critical high-risk newborn care becomes. The society seeks better reimbursement, staffing support and lighter on-call burdens.

The government is weighing essential-care support measures, linked to longer-term plans such as the national public-medicine school.

A Third Perspective

In an era when every child is precious, gaps in newborn care are a society-wide risk - and with steady births in multicultural families, a direct safety-net issue for Chinese households too.