Objective: To provide updates on maternal, infant, and perinatal mortality using the national population data of South Korea between 2009 and 2017 and describe the mortality rate by target groups, timing, or causes of events to provide a basis for detecting vulnerable populations and ensuring timely medical and political interventions. Methods: Pregnancy-related mortality in women, as well as deaths of infants, in South Korea was identified using population data from Statistics Korea. Records from death certificates, cremation reports on infant and fetal deaths, and the complementary cause-of-death investigation system were reviewed for the 2009–2017 period. Results: A total of 461 maternal deaths, 11,717 infant deaths, and 12,249 perinatal deaths, including fetal deaths over 28 gestational weeks, were identified from 3,945,159 live births between 2009 and 2017. The maternal mortality ratio was 13.5 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2009 and decreased to 7.8 in 2017. Only the rate of deaths related to hypertensive disorders showed an increasing tendency. Both the infant and perinatal mortality rates improved (from 3.2 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2009 to 2.8 in 2017 and from 3.5 to 2.7, respectively). Among the external causes of infant mortality, assaults including homicides accounted for 25% (n=150), and this proportion was constant throughout the study period. Conclusion Overall improvements were observed in all maternal, infant, and perinatal mortality measures. In-depth analysis and interventions with respect to certain causes, such as hypertensive disorders in mothers or assaults in infants, should be considered priority issues.

Objective: To provide updates on maternal, infant, and perinatal mortality using the national population data of South Korea between 2009 and 2017 and describe the mortality rate by target groups, timing, or causes of events to provide a basis for detecting vulnerable populations and ensuring timely medical and political interventions. Methods: Pregnancy-related mortality in women, as well as deaths of infants, in South Korea was identified using population data from Statistics Korea. Records from death certificates, cremation reports on infant and fetal deaths, and the complementary cause-of-death investigation system were reviewed for the 2009–2017 period. Results: A total of 461 maternal deaths, 11,717 infant deaths, and 12,249 perinatal deaths, including fetal deaths over 28 gestational weeks, were identified from 3,945,159 live births between 2009 and 2017. The maternal mortality ratio was 13.5 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2009 and decreased to 7.8 in 2017. Only the rate of deaths related to hypertensive disorders showed an increasing tendency. Both the infant and perinatal mortality rates improved (from 3.2 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2009 to 2.8 in 2017 and from 3.5 to 2.7, respectively). Among the external causes of infant mortality, assaults including homicides accounted for 25% (n=150), and this proportion was constant throughout the study period. Conclusion Overall improvements were observed in all maternal, infant, and perinatal mortality measures. In-depth analysis and interventions with respect to certain causes, such as hypertensive disorders in mothers or assaults in infants, should be considered priority issues.

This study aimed to analyze changes in the causes of death in the Korean population in 2016 and to provide some insights regarding how to cope with related issues of public health and welfare. The causes of death made available by Statistics Korea were classified according to the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th revision as well as the KCD-7 (Korean Standard Classification of Diseases and Causes of Death), which has been modified to fit circumstances in Korea. The total number of deaths was 280,827, which was an increase of 4,932 (1.8%) from 2015. The crude death rate was 549.4 per 100,000 population, which was an increase of 7.9 (1.5%) from 2015. The 10 leading causes of death, in order, were malignant neoplasms, heart diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, pneumonia, intentional self-harm, diabetes mellitus, chronic lower respiratory diseases, liver diseases, hypertensive diseases, and transport accidents. The rank of hypertensive diseases rose from 10th in 2015 to 9th in 2016, while that of transfer accidents dropped from 9th in 2015 to 10th in 2016. The proportion of the number of deaths caused by cancer was 27.8%. The death rate due to cancer was 153.0 per 100,000 population, which was an increase of 1.4% from 2015; 16.5 deaths per 100,000 population were due to colon cancer, and 16.2 were due to stomach cancer. The above trends in causes of death reflect aspects of the population structure, disease patterns, lifestyle, and medical care in present-day Korean society.
Cause of Death ; Cerebrovascular Disorders ; Classification ; Colonic Neoplasms ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Heart Neoplasms ; Hypertension ; International Classification of Diseases ; Korea ; Life Style ; Liver Diseases ; Mortality ; Pneumonia ; Public Health ; Republic of Korea ; Stomach Neoplasms