Korean baby boom sees rise in 1st birthday parties

their children's first birthdays, according to reports.

Restaurants and caterers are seeing an unprecedented number of bookings for 2008, with many already booked months in advance.

A sales manager at a popular venue in southern Seoul told the Korea Times: "We're completely booked every weekend from now until April."

Figures from the National Statistical Office (NSO) revealed that there were 50,000 more births last year than in 2006 – the golden pig year.

With an increasing number of working parents choosing to have someone else organise their child's first birthday rather than celebrate at home, 2008 will prove to be a busy year for Korean restaurants and caterers.

Lee Jung-hee, a spokeswoman for baby party planning company Doljunbi, told the newspaper: "We got orders for 2008 March birthdays last September, so these mums really planned ahead, keeping in mind of the baby boom."

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