No one should be wasted in S. Korea on the verge of 3 crises

“Children are constantly compared to one another from whether they walk before their first birthday to school and work. I don’t have the confidence to participate in that endless competition as a parent.”

“I decided not to give birth because I have no hope that my child will have a better life than me.”

These are the words of young couples who are married but have decided not to have children at a meeting organized by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy. Listening to their stories, it is easy to see why South Korea’s birth rate has not increased despite spending over 100 trillion won. The fatigue of an endlessly competitive society and a pessimistic outlook for a better world is not a problem that can be solved by simply throwing money at it. They are complex challenges that require more fundamental social structural reforms.

“The trend of young people choosing not to get married or not to have children is largely influenced by the social atmosphere of intense competition and the loss of family values that have prevailed in South Korea since the foreign exchange crisis,” said Lee Sang-rim, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs. ”In addition to policy support, civil society should promote discourse on population issues so that people can feel the need for family.”

Experts at a recent seminar titled “The impact and solutions of declining birthrate and aging population from the perspective of domestic and international scholars,” organized by the Federation of Korean Industries, also pointed out that addressing the population decline requires an entirely new policy imagination and a shift in perspective. “We need to recognize South Korea’s declining birthrate not as a ‘problem’ that needs to be solved immediately, but as a ‘symptom’ that signals the failure of the social system as a whole,” said Stuart Gietel-Basten, a professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. ”In other words, we need to think deeply and reflect on what kind of society we want in the future.”

Some of those who choose not to have children say, “I have had enough trouble in this world. I can’t bring another child into this miserable life, so I decided not to have children.” South Korea’s soul-crushing college entrance examination and one of the highest suicide rates in the world are also contributing to its low birth rate.

South Korea is an ultra-low birthrate country with a total fertility rate of 0.72 last year, and next year, it will become a super-aged society with more than 20 percent of its population aged 65 and older. “South Korea is facing three crises of ultra-low birthrate, super-aged society, and demographic cliff,” said Joo Hyung-hwan, vice chairman of the Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy.

How can the country address the pressing crises? According to the domestic and international scholars attending the Federation of Korean Industries’ seminar, society's paradigm should be transformed as a whole, and a NOW (No One is Wasted) society should be created to prepare for a society in which population decline, shrinkage, and aging are ongoing phenomena. Individuals should be able to dream of a better tomorrow in an atmosphere of respect and inclusion, where they are not just an accessory to society.

The government’s structural reforms in labor, education, and pensions, as well as balanced regional development, could be the solution to the population crisis. I hope that these reforms will be accelerated so that no one will hesitate to have children out of fear for their future.