South Korean president says birth rate is 'national emergency'

In a televised address, President Yoon Suk Yeol said he would ask the South Korean National Assembly to cooperate in establishing a Ministry of Planning to combat low birth rates. "We will mobilize all our resources to address the low birth rate, which can be considered a national emergency," he said.

In his speech, Mr. Yoon acknowledged his failure in efforts to improve people's lives. He pledged to use his next three years in office to improve the economy and address the low birth rate.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at a press conference in Seoul on May 9. Photo: AP

South Korea is grappling with a deepening demographic crisis. It has the lowest birth rate in the world – a rate that indicates the average number of children a woman will have in her lifetime.

In 2023, South Korea recorded a birth rate of just 0.72, down from 0.78 the previous year. Meanwhile, countries need a birth rate of 2.1 to maintain a stable population in the absence of immigration.

It's not just South Korea; other East Asian countries are also facing this situation as their societies age rapidly after only a few decades of industrialization.

Many European countries also face the challenge of an aging population, but the speed and impact of this are mitigated by immigration. Meanwhile, countries like South Korea, Japan, and China remain quite sensitive to immigration.

According to experts, the reasons for these demographic changes include work culture, stagnant wages, rising cost of living, changing attitudes toward marriage and gender equality, and increasing disillusionment among the younger generation.

In 2022, Mr. Yoon admitted to spending over $200 billion trying to increase the population over the past 16 years. But despite the impact of economic factors, spending money on this issue has proven ineffective.

Initiatives such as extending paid maternity leave, providing monetary "birth certificates" to new parents, and social campaigns encouraging men to contribute to childcare and housework have so far failed to reverse the declining birth rate.

Experts and citizens have pointed to several deeper-rooted social issues, such as stigma surrounding single parents, discrimination against non-traditional relationships, and barriers to same-sex couples.

The Japanese government has tried similar measures to encourage couples to have children, but without success. This has prompted the country's leaders to take urgent action in recent years.

In January 2023, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida warned that Japan "is on the verge of being unable to maintain social functions" due to declining birth rates, and announced plans to establish a new government agency dedicated to this issue.

A few months later, the Agency for Children and Families was established to address a range of issues, from improving children's health and well-being to supporting families and parents.

According to the agency's website, the measures aim to "address the declining birth rate" and create a society where people "feel hopeful about getting married, having children, and raising them."

Hoai Phuong (according to CNN)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/tong-thong-han-quoc-noi-ty-le-sinh-giam-la-tinh-trang-khan-cap-quoc-gia-post294945.html