Where Did the 260 Trillion Won Low Birthrate Measures Go...Foreign Media Emphasize Issues Like Housing Prices and Education Costs

"Almost No New Ideas Beyond Existing Similar Measures"
"Prejudices Against Single-Parent Families, Continued Discrimination Such as Non-Recognition of Same-Sex Marriage"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jung-wan] CNN reported on the 4th (local time) that despite South Korea's past governments investing as much as 260 trillion won, the low birthrate problem still remains unresolved.

On the same day, CNN published an article titled "South Korea has invested $200 billion (about 260 trillion won), but it is not enough to encourage having children," stating, "The baby fair season has returned in South Korea, but the industry is shrinking and customers are decreasing."

CNN pointed out that South Korea's total fertility rate in the third quarter of this year was 0.79, "setting a new record for the world's lowest birthrate," adding, "This is far below the 2.1 needed for stable population maintenance and even lower than the declining birthrates in the United States (1.6) and Japan (1.3)." It further noted, "This will be a problem for an aging country facing a shortage of labor to support the pension system."

The media especially focused on economic factors. CNN analyzed, "This issue is generally attributed to economic factors that prevent young people from starting families, such as high real estate prices, education costs, and greater economic instability."

However, it emphasized that social factors must also be considered to solve the low birthrate problem. "No matter how much money is invested, it has been proven beyond the capability of past governments to solve," and "This signals that the problem is more serious than economic issues and requires a change in approach."

CNN mentioned President Yoon Suk-yeol's visit to a daycare center last September. The media acknowledged that at the time, President Yoon admitted the government had invested more than $200 billion over the past 16 years to increase the population, but criticized, "Since taking office in May, his administration has hardly proposed any ideas to solve this problem."

Earlier, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced the 4th Mid- to Long-term Childcare Basic Plan last month, which includes increasing childcare allowances for children under one year old (300,000 won per month for home care, 500,000 won per month for daycare use) to a maximum of 700,000 won per month next year and up to 1,000,000 won per month in 2024.

A citizen named Kim, who is expecting a second child this month, told CNN, "The government changed and merged the names of subsidies, but there are no additional benefits for parents like us," and said the government ignored promises of additional financial support.

CNN pointed out, "His problem was that the couple could not afford private childcare, so they could not work after their first child was born," and added, "Many experts view the current funding approach as too one-dimensional and believe what is needed instead is continuous support throughout the children's lives."

CNN also criticized, saying, "Having a baby is expected of married couples in South Korea," and "Korean society still shows prejudice against single-parent families."

According to the '2022 Social Survey' released by Statistics Korea last month, the percentage of people who think "it is possible to have children without being married" increased by 4.0 percentage points compared to two years ago, reaching 34.7%, showing an upward trend.

However, South Korea does not provide in vitro fertilization (IVF) to unmarried women, does not recognize same-sex marriage, and makes adoption difficult for unmarried couples, meaning couples in non-traditional relationships face discrimination.

The social atmosphere where taking parental leave is still not easy was also mentioned. CNN said, "Husbands who want to be more involved in childcare find that Korean corporate culture does not allow it," adding, "Even when the office door is closed, work is not finished, and there is a 'team-building' culture after work where not attending draws attention." It further added, "Although parental leave on paper has increased, very few people feel comfortable fully using parental leave."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.