[Shot!] Why Are Pregnant-Woman Badges Showing Up in the Secondhand Market?

Subway priority seats, airport dedicated counters, restaurant discounts, and other "perks"
Amid a sales ban, they circulate online in the form of "free giveaways"
"Use by a non-pregnant person is a 'deceptive act'... punishable as fraud, etc."
"High potential for fraudulent use... a post-childbirth return system should be established"

"Pregnant-woman badges," which prove pregnancy and grant various benefits, are being traded on secondhand trading platforms, sparking controversy.

On the 26th of last month, a screenshot of a pregnant-woman badge being traded secondhand was posted on Threads, recording about 410,000 views. The sale post in the photo carried the description, "Useful for using priority seats for pregnant women."

A Threads user 'db***,' who shared the screenshot and raised the issue, pointed out, "Are you even checking whether the buyer is pregnant before selling?" and comments followed such as "Secondhand trading of pregnant-woman badges should be completely banned."

Currently, "paid trading" of pregnant-woman badges is prohibited. However, on Threads, comments appear such as "There was someone who was selling them for money on Danggeun" (y***).

An official of the Ministry of Health and Welfare's childbirth policy division said on the 15th, "We are aware of some cases of misuse, but since the cost of recovering the badges is higher than the production cost, physical recovery is difficult," adding, "Since pregnant-woman consideration is a system aimed at raising awareness, citizens' voluntary consideration and mature civic consciousness are important."

Public-transit priority seats and discount perks... "Misused for 'free-pass' purposes"

The pregnant-woman badge was devised to protect expectant mothers from the early stages of pregnancy—when there is no outward sign—and to encourage yielding of public-transit priority seats.

Those eligible to be issued one are pregnant women who have been diagnosed as pregnant at a hospital and received a pregnancy confirmation certificate. It can usually be obtained at the public health center in one's district of residence, and in some areas is also distributed at subway station offices.

Since any pregnant woman can receive one, it is an item there is no reason to trade secondhand in the first place.

Nevertheless, until recently, suspicions were raised that pregnant-woman badges were being traded on secondhand platforms for around several thousand to 10,000 won, because various benefits can be obtained.

Beyond using public-transit priority seats, pregnant women can receive airport and airline priority services or discounts at well-known restaurants.

Major airlines and Incheon International Airport offer dedicated counters and priority boarding/check-in benefits, and some hotel buffets offer 20–50% discounts. Most require additional proof such as a maternity handbook, but there are also places that recognize the badge itself as proof.

Earlier, in 2024, Daejeon's representative bakery "Sungsimdang" had provided pregnant women with discounts and priority entry, but when the misuse controversy grew, it changed its operation to require additional verification materials such as a maternity handbook.

In April, a company that produces and supplies pregnant-woman badges even posted a notice on its homepage saying, "We have recently been hearing that pregnant-woman badges are being traded at high prices on secondhand platforms or misused for the purpose of a 'free pass' when using famous eateries or public transit," and "Inquiries asking whether individuals can purchase from our company are increasing, but individual sales are not possible."

As of the 17th, cases of pregnant-woman badges being "sold" on secondhand platforms such as Danggeun are not conspicuous, but posts offering to give them away for free, saying "Take it if anyone needs it," continue unabated.

Pregnant women argue that "giving away" pregnant-woman badges is necessary due to the risk of loss or for everyday convenience.

Ms. Lee (34) said, "I lost my badge a few days ago," adding, "The public health center closes at 6 p.m. on weekdays, so a working mom like me has no time to go get a reissue unless I take half a day off, but thanks to someone who gave one away for free on Danggeun, I got a lot of help."

She argued, "There may be unavoidable situations, so there may be a risk of misuse, but blocking even giveaways seems excessive."

Meanwhile, Ms. Kim (29) said, "Switching the pregnant-woman badge from bag to bag is more of a hassle than you'd think," adding, "Through a local moms' café or a secondhand giveaway, I got an extra one and attach one to each of several bags."

She added, "If even well-intentioned giveaways are blocked, it will only increase the inconvenience for pregnant women."

However, there is no shortage of counterarguments that, to block "misuse," free giveaways should also be strongly regulated.

Ms. Park (32), three months pregnant, countered, "Even if it's a free giveaway, if the person who comes to pick it up lies that they 'came to pick it up on someone's behalf,' how would you verify that?"

She pointed out, "The pregnant-woman badge is a kind of ID concept," adding, "Even if it's a bit of a hassle, it's right for the public health center or community service center to thoroughly check the maternity handbook and issue reissues or additional badges."

Ms. Jeong (33), who gave birth three months ago, said, "I thought about giving my badge away after childbirth, but I just kept it in case someone might misuse it," adding, "It would be good to create a recovery system—such as making it unusable once the due date passes, or exchanging it for a small childbirth-congratulation gift if returned to the public health center."

Misuse can constitute "fraud"... "A return system should be established"

Secondhand trading platforms prohibit the trading of pregnant-woman badges but do not restrict giveaways.

A Danggeun PR team official said, "We manage pregnant-woman badges, along with other publicly supported items, as prohibited trading items," while adding, "Since there are also cases where users who need pregnant-woman badges or blood-donation certificates cannot receive them in time due to shortages, we do not restrict public-interest giveaways that reach those who genuinely need them."

A Junggonara PR team official said, "Considering the purpose of pregnant-woman badges, we restrict the registration of trade items," adding, "Going forward, if we receive a separate request for cooperation from relevant agencies regarding pregnant-woman badge trading, we plan to actively review and consult on it."

However, the legal standards for punishing the sale of pregnant-woman badges for money are ambiguous.

Attorney Choi Kwang-hyun of the law firm Daeryun explained, "Under current statutes, there is no explicit provision that directly punishes the act of selling or buying a pregnant-woman badge itself," adding, "However, if the distributing entity specified conditions such as 'usable only by the pregnant woman herself' or 'transfer/sale prohibited,' civil liability may arise from violating those conditions."

He continued, "The act of a non-pregnant person presenting a badge as if she were pregnant constitutes a legal 'deceptive act,'" pointing out, "Depending on the nature of the benefit obtained through this, there is a possibility of other legal punishment such as fraud, obstruction of business, or fraudulent use of a public mark."

Professor Jung Jae-hoon of the Department of Social Welfare at Seoul Women's University (CEO of the Gyeongbuk Happiness Foundation) noted, "A return system that can reliably recover badges after childbirth must be established," pointing out, "Currently, with no particular validity-period management, badges are left neglected, so there is a high possibility of this leading to secondhand trading or fraudulent use."

Professor Jung advised, "In welfare states such as Germany, citizens deeply understand the purpose of welfare systems, so a culture has formed in which they voluntarily report when they discover cases of abuse," adding, "Rather than shouting 'no illegal use,' we should actively publicize why pregnant-woman badges are needed, creating a virtuous cycle in which citizens themselves monitor and show consideration."

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Yonhap News - [Shot!] Why Are Pregnant-Woman Badges Showing Up in the Secondhand Market? (Go to link)
Maeil Business - "Pregnant-Woman Badges Being Sold for Money"... Sungsimdang in Trouble Too? "Fraudulent Use" Controversy (Go to link)
Insight - Pregnant-Woman Badge Trading Aimed at Sungsimdang "Free Pass"... Punishment Possible Too (Go to link)
Wikitree - Amid Surging "Pregnant-Woman Free-Pass" Misuse, Sungsimdang Adds ID Verification Procedure (Go to link)
Financial News - "Pregnant-Woman Badge Secondhand Trading... Sold for Money" "Fraudulent Use" Controversy on Subways, Airports, and Restaurants [What Do You Think?] (Go to link)
SBS - Why Are Pregnant-Woman Badges Showing Up in the Secondhand Market?... "Use by a Non-Pregnant Person Punishable as Fraud, Etc." (Go to link)
Edaily - "Useful for Using Priority Seats for Pregnant Women"... Pregnant-Woman Badges Appear on Secondhand Trading Platforms (Go to link)