South Korea to establish ministry to tackle low birth rate crisis

South Korea’s President, Yoon Suk Yeol, has announced plans to establish a new government ministry dedicated to addressing the country’s dire birth rate situation.

In a televised address, President Yoon highlighted the urgent need to confront what he described as a “national emergency” stemming from South Korea’s notoriously low birth rate, which has plunged to unprecedented depths in recent years.

The proposed Ministry of Low Birth Rate Counter-planning underscores the severity of South Korea’s demographic crisis.

With a fertility rate of just 0.72 in 2023, South Korea holds the unenviable title of having the world’s lowest fertility rate.

This alarming figure falls well below the replacement level of 2.1 births per woman required to sustain a stable population without relying on immigration.

The demographic challenges facing South Korea and other East Asian countries are multifaceted and deeply entrenched.

Root causes include demanding work cultures, stagnant wages, soaring living costs, evolving attitudes towards marriage and gender equality, and widespread disillusionment among younger generations.

Despite extensive financial investments totaling over $200 billion across 16 years, conventional strategies like expanding paternity leave and offering financial incentives to new parents have been ineffective in stemming the decline in birth rates.

Despite efforts to promote shared responsibilities in childcare and household chores, the trend of declining births remains unchanged.

Moreover, social barriers persist, including stigma against single parenthood, discrimination against non-traditional partnerships, and legal obstacles faced by same-sex couples.

These entrenched societal norms continue to hamper efforts to encourage family formation and child-rearing.