Korea better nation to be born in than Japan: Economist Intelligence Unit

by Robert Koehler on January 17, 2013

in Japan, South Korea

As the reader who sent this to me said, “I bet a lot of Koreans would beg to differ”:

Korea has been ranked the 19th best country for babies to be born in by the Economist Intelligence Unit, a think tank affiliated with the business magazine.

The think tank ranked 80 countries. Korea scored 7.25 points ahead of Japan in 25th (7.08 points), France in 26th (7.04 points) and China in 49th (5.99 points).

Germany and the U.S. shared 16th place with 7.38 points.

I’ve got to say, though, the feeling I get living here is that Korea is moving forward—its best years have yet to come. I don’t live in Japan, so obviously, I can’t speak for sentiment over there, but looking at it from the outside, I see a place that’s lost a lot of cachet. I see Seoul the way * William Gibson used to see Tokyo—as the place where the future will happen.

* If you get a chance, check out Gibson’s 2001 post on Tokyo at Wired.

{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Gaeranee January 17, 2013 at 2:36 pm

But what will happen when these babies (with Korea having a low birth rate) have to support a massive aging population in twenty – thirty years.

2 SalarymaninSeoul January 17, 2013 at 6:28 pm

They will rebel and most likely will not support the old. And quite frankly, they will be right not to do so. You will see a similar backlash in theWest as welfarism and redistributuon grow to unprecedented, and insane levels.

3 Jakgani January 17, 2013 at 6:52 pm

  I see Seoul the way * William Gibson used to see Tokyo—as the place where the future will happen.

Right – these young kids growing up are so lucky – they have yet to deal with either fighting with North Korea, problems between Japan and China – or in the event of reunification – the North Korea imbeciles who will flood the country and the economy will have to pay for it, meanwhile, being raised by the “now – younger generation” who presently hate the older generation – and want to spend all the money – in order to keep up with their “Gangnam Style” appearances/behavior.

The Economist Intelligence Unit doesn’t think too well does it.

4 OneRaceKorea January 17, 2013 at 7:08 pm

If you compare Korea and Japan:

Korea has cheaper food
Korea has more attractive women
Korean companies like Samsung are dominating the global markets. Samsung alone makes more profits than all Japanese electronics companies combined

Japan is an earthquake and tsunami prone country and has been hit by the worst nuclear disaster in human history (Fukushima triple nuclear meltdown)
Japan is in a technical recession
Japan has a more diverse community with more extremists and pseudo-hippies
Japanese car companies still sell more cars, although a lot of them have experienced major losses in recent years, including Suzuki which has completely stopped selling cars in the US market
Japan is the most aged nation in the world

I hope Korea doesn’t follow Japan’s failures. Korea must adapt. 

5 David January 17, 2013 at 7:15 pm

Oh yeah and don’t forget that Japanese cars are contaminated with nuclear radiation. Once nuclear radiation targets your germ line cells (sperm or ova) they will mutate and you and your partner will create deformed children.

Read on the birth deformities of butterflies in the Eastern Japan region. The nuclear radiation levels have basically deformed successive generations of butterflies in Japan with each successive generation becoming more deformed than the previous. 

So nuclear radiation will continue to deform Japanese people forever. 

6 Richard Hankin January 18, 2013 at 12:44 am

www/realclearhistory. com on a aritcile by Mark Sauter entitled: “American Blood paid for Psy’s ‘Gangnam Style”
I understand we have passed the time on this issue but I really liked the authors last sentence:
‘”Quoting Hank Hong…”Had it not been for American sacrifice they’d be doing Pyongyang sty;e dance, not Gangnam Style”.
amen brother
by the way  the article is balanced.

7 wangkon936 January 18, 2013 at 1:20 am

Richard,

I would also say that the South Koreans themselves made the American blood sacrificed actually worth something.  In other words, they actually did something with their freedom and played a big role in winning it themselves.  American wars abroad are generally not successful without local help/support.  Unfortunately, American blood was sacrificed for virtually nothing in Vietnam and Somalia.  Jury is still out on Iraq and Afghanistan. 

8 pipokun January 18, 2013 at 1:21 am

um yes, but this can easily be countered by 1000X

9 ig5959292ee January 18, 2013 at 2:28 am

 foad

10 pipokun January 18, 2013 at 2:33 am

word.

11 Mryouknowwho January 18, 2013 at 11:41 am

The future is in China.

12 ig5959292ee January 18, 2013 at 12:21 pm

 well said

13 keyinjpop January 18, 2013 at 1:27 pm

I call BS. I find Japanese women more attractive than Korean women.

14 Robert Koehler January 18, 2013 at 1:30 pm

Blasphemy!

15 Robert Koehler January 18, 2013 at 1:30 pm

We’ll see about that.

16 platethief January 18, 2013 at 1:57 pm

And yet, i thank my lucky stars i was born in neither country.

17 platethief January 18, 2013 at 2:14 pm

`American wars are generally not successful without local help/support`

There has always been `local support`in any war for an outsider force which defends or imposes ones own political ideology. Once the war is done, there labelled `collaborator`or `patriot`depending on the victor.

Do you think the Vietnam and Somali conflict was Americans versus Vietnamese and Somali people, with no prior internal conflict upon which the US could side with?

18 Sperwer January 18, 2013 at 3:31 pm

I would also say that the South Koreans themselves made the American blood sacrificed actually worth something.  In other words, they actually did something with their freedom and played a big role in winning it themselves.  American wars abroad are generally not successful without local help/support. 

Your first sentence unquestionably is true, and it’s also true that the ROK forces played an indispensable role in achieving the result that was accomplished with the Armistice in Korea. But neither fact negates Hankin’s point that the ROK wouldn’t exist but for US/UN intervention.  

But let’s face it, indigenous forces otherwise have been nothing but a disaster for the US since WW2, and before that either were not a significant factor or were something else entirely, ie genuine allies, e.g., Anglo-French forces in WW1 and 2, Soviet forces in WW2

19 keyinjpop January 19, 2013 at 12:38 am

Well that’s my preference and I’m sticking to it.

20 pipokun January 19, 2013 at 12:39 am

not going to choose. good and bad on both. i like both!

21 pipokun January 19, 2013 at 12:40 am

which sounds like what Korean young people are like these days..

22 hjohn5929 January 19, 2013 at 2:32 am

atstok

23 Liz January 22, 2013 at 3:44 am

Maybe explains why Japanese actress Koyuki (of Last Samurai fame) recently gave birth in Korea:

http://my.news.yahoo.com/japanese-actress-koyuki-gives-birth-korea-040005348.html

24 wangkon936 January 22, 2013 at 4:07 am

Does that mean Koyuki’s baby will have Korean citizenship?

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