A reader just shot me this email:
I just read an article about falling birthrate in Japan at http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/HE09Dh04.html
What is the current birthrate in Korea and do you think is there any chance it will become better?
Well, funny you should ask, because the National Statistical Office announced yesterday that Korea’s birthrate had hit a record low:
The National Statistical Office announced yesterday the total fertility rate tumbled to 1.08 last year, down from the previous lowest of 1.16 recorded in 2004. This is far lower than in Korea’s peer economies.
The number of newborn babies also dropped nearly 8 percent to 438,000 from a year ago, according to the statistical data.
Korea’s birthrate falls far behind those of other advanced economies, such as the United States with 2.05, France with 1.9 and Italy with 1.33.
Even Japan, the world’s most aged society, has a higher birthrate than Korea with 1.29 according to the NSO.
Dropping birth rates has been a trend in Korea since the 1970:
The nation’s birthrate experienced a dramatic fall from four or five in the 1970s to 1.59 in 1990 and set a new world record in 2001 with 1.3. “If the rate continues to drop at this pace, Korea will become the lone nation in the world with a birthrate below 1 next year,” a Finance Ministry official said.
The government explained that more women wait longer to get married, mainly for economic reasons such as rising real estate prices and employment insecurity, and do not want to give birth. For the first time in the nation’s history, the percentage of women in their 30s who gave birth was actually greater than that of women in their 20s, with 50.3 percent as against 47.7 percent.
All three of Korea’s big dailies ran editorials on the looming “demographic disaster” (see here, here and here), giving you some idea of the seriousness some quarters of the population are taking this issue. I’m not a demographer, so I really couldn’t tell you whether things will get better or not, but it seems other societies have managed to tweak their relevant laws and social policies to create (albeit slight) upturns in their birth rates, so there’s no reason to believe Korea can’t or won’t do the same.
26 Comments
I think the Korean people are heeding the nation’s call, only not with their spouses
I’m curious about how Korea’s preference for males and the gender imbalance that resulted had an impact on the birthrate.
If the nation’s calling on the populace to do anything, it’s to procreate.
Perhaps, after all, this was what Dr. Hwang’s research meant to aid.
s/b ‘was meant to aid’…
Reporting for duty!
Just a passing thought. But, what if the government were to go to greater measures to protect the population (especially children)who umm….do exist. The alarming rate of accidental deaths in Korea is even more alarming when considering the number of accidental death of minors.
http://joongangdaily.joins.com.....09112.html
The sub headline for this ‘about Korea’ letter in the Joonang is “Children are Protected by Korean Traffic Law.”
It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy that the law protects children in Korea. Though when considering how irresponsible parents and law enforcement agencies are in biding by these laws one does tend to feel down right horrified as the author of the linked letter put it.
I myself have been made to feel sick in the stomach on more than just a few occasions driving on express ways when children in the backseat play “let’s jump up and down and wave to the foreigner following behind us”… or “let’s jump up and down on the front seat and wave to foreigner we are passing going 100km/hr while Daddy/Mummy does 120km/h”.
Just my 2 sense.
This may be the first campaign in history when soldiers are required to go into battle without a helmet.
“Reporting for duty!” Eh, only “members” of the 5,000-year-old clan of the garlic-eating bear need apply. Fighting!
Thanks, Michael, you are a Korea lover. I would like to see more foreigners like you in Korea. That’s the kind of foreigners that Korea needs. Those, I wouldn’t talk anything if they were in Korea, even if they marry with Korean women, except some mfs.
Katz,
Sarcasm baby. Sarcasm.
Michael,
In that case, I’m putting my helmet back on.
Well, I married into the tribe
And one’s enough
I didn’t talk about disrespecting others’ rights.
Iceberg, the nation is not calling you. You, Mr. Foreigner, keep it zipped up.
Yeah, I’m just being silly. Korean guys are marrying Vietnamese, Chinese, Phillipino women — everybody’s gonna be mixed later anyway.
Iceberg, usually better to wrap the rascal…unless you want to see a bunch of icecubes that resemble you
Drat! And I was so willing to do my part.
Stand down, little soldier.
Major Woody and Private Parts reporting for duty!
“but it seems other societies have managed to tweak their relevant laws and social policies to create (albeit slight) upturns in their birth rates, so there’s no reason to believe Korea can’t or won’t do the same.”
but when has kore been able to tweak any policies that didn’t involve some populist policies, usually against foreignors?
althogh maybe they have a plan to reduce the pensions (which is needed) but they are waiting til the old people get much older so there will be less voilent protesting.
If Korea attends foreigners’ demands, then it is not Korea anymore but “a foreigners’ country”. Do you think this is party? Keep in mind, Korea is divided. You are all insolent if use it for your own interests.
Katz, lots of Korean guys are in interracial marriages now, like I said before. Korea is becoming more diverse by the choice of Koreans.
And the cat’s in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little Boy Blue and the Man on the Moon~~
Robert, the title of this thread reminds me way too much of dear “Masamania” and his often repeated call to Japanese discover “fuck”.
I do observe that there are now far fewer older people in my neighborhood to do recycling than there was six years ago.
the future will depend on foreign labor and immigration to a great extent. although some countries in similar demographic situations (read japan) have a viable financial plan in place for pensions, health care and other aging issues, korea does not. most importantly, japan has lent massive amounts of money to other countries and receives interest payments that will keep their pension systems alive and well. korea has not, although they have been increasing development projects as of late in the developing world.
Drat! And I was so willing to do my part.
Iceberg, to each their own, but you don’t have to do your own part, no matter what Katz thinks.
There has never been a more appropriate entry title, ever.
I’ve been saying this all along, damnit…start knockin boots.
Iceberg, the nation is not calling you. You, Mr. Foreigner, keep it zipped up.
Yeah, big-nose, keep the blood PURE!!
This may be the first campaign in history when soldiers are required to go into battle without a helmet.
http://www.tshirthell.com/shir.....8_a_01.jpg
The problem isn’t insufficient intercourse - it’s too many contraceptives. If the ROK government really wants the population to balloon, all it has to do is ban contraceptives and sterilization procedures. Then Korea will return to an era when couples planned for three children, but would settle for seven. And this on a sexual schedule of one interlude every other month.
This is a blessing in disguise.
It’s the equal and opposite reaction to a country that is ridiculously overpopulated.
When you put gerbils in a cage, they all start having babies. Then, to control the population, the adult gerbils start eating the baby gerbils. It’s called common sense in the animal world, fratricide in the human world.
The best thing for Korea is for its population to plummet. The policy wonks should be able to figure out a way to move that money around and keep the economy from going into shock.
As for all the companies selling shit that needn’t be bought. Well, maybe it’s your turn to burn.
RR
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[...] Korea is in the middle of an alarmingly disturbing decline in birthrate with a birthrate of 1.08 which is the lowest in the world. Anyway here is one idea from Japan on how to stop the declining birthrate. [...]