AI fortune-tellers dictate newborn destinies in Korea

Some South Korean parents are using AI-powered fortune-telling, known as "saju AI," to select auspicious delivery dates for planned C-sections, a practice that has grown since 2025. The trend reflects Korea's high C-section rate and has sparked family conflicts over birth timing and delivery methods.

For some Korean babies born in the artificial intelligence AI era, fortune telling begins before their first cry. As planned C-sections become more common, some expectant parents choose an auspicious delivery date and hour using AI saju, a Korean form of fortune-telling based on an individual's year, month, day and time of birth. The practice has drawn attention as Korea’s C-section birth rate tops the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Because planned C-sections allow families to adjust when a baby is delivered, some parents now use what online commenters call "saju AI" to decide birth timing. Using AI for saju has become more and more common since 2025, when artificial intelligence tools gained widespread use. The ability to schedule a birth has also creates room for conflict. Some pregnant women come into conflict with their parents or in-laws over whether to have a vaginal birth or a C-section, turning the delivery method into a family argument before labor even begins. 7 in 10 births by C-section One pregnant woman wrote that she delivered her first child by C-