Merck Korea, the Korean unit of the Germany-based pharmaceutical group, said Thursday it has launched a campaign to promote childbirth in efforts to ratchet up the low birth rate in the country.

The “Wishmom” campaign was designed to raise public awareness of infertility and help couples struggling to conceive in partnership with the Korean Society for Reproductive Medicine.

Actress Song Sun-mee will join the public-private partnership as honorary ambassador, the company said.

“The campaign will deliver correct information and attract more attention toward infertility issues,” said Merck Korea President Juergen Koenig.

“Merck Korea will provide professional consulting and treatment through the campaign.”

According to a recent survey, one out of every eight married couples is fertility-challenged in Korea.

The number of in vitro fertilization conducted in Korea tops 25,000 every year, a process by which egg cells are fertilized by sperm outside the body, indicating correlation with the low birth rate here.

However, doctors say only 10 percent of the cases are due to real physiological problems and the other 90 percent can be overcome through appropriate treatment and personal efforts.

By Shin Hyon-hee (heeshin@heraldcorp.com)