Stigma Surrounding Premarital Pregnancy Fades

It is becoming more common for couples to get pregnant before tying the knot. In reflection of this growing trend, more celebrities have started admitted they are expecting a baby before they take the walk down the aisle.

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Celebrity couple Baek Ji-young and Jung Suk-won are a case in point, as is actor Kim Jae-won, who recently announced he will wed his pregnant fiancée.

The trend is striking because even a few years ago it was unimaginable in Korea for a couple, especially a celebrity couple, to be so frank. But social norms are clearly changing fast.

According to matchmaking firm Duo on Wednesday, in a recent survey of 374 newlyweds, 30.5 percent of respondents said they were expecting a baby before they got married. About nine in 10 said the baby was unplanned.

The majority said the pregnancy gave them the momentum to finally tie the knot.

Some 30.4 percent of male respondents said it made them feel more responsible, while others said it made them love and trust their betrothed even more.

Asked what they worried about most when they knew they were expecting a baby, 61.8 percent said it would be harder to enjoy their newly married life to the fullest due to the burden of raising a child.