Alarm over S. Korea's low birth rate

Straits Times ^ | By Caroline Gluck

[DeaconBenjamin]

Many rural communities are in danger of dying out, and the problem could threaten the nation's economic growth

SEOUL - Just one school remains open in the village of Dongmyun, deep in the heart of South Korea's countryside in central Chungcheong province.

There used to be four schools in the area. But in the past 30 years, the number of pupils has fallen dramatically from more than 1,000 to just over 100.

Village head Hong Ui Jeong fears that without drastic action, communities like his may die out totally.

With fewer than 20 babies born last year, he is doing what little he can to try to reverse the trend.

To couples who give birth this year, he will offer a cash incentive - money that comes out of his own salary.

'The population in Dongmyun is dropping by about 100 people every year,' he said. 'To stop our village dying, I decided to offer 100,000 won (S$145) to every couple if they had a baby.'

One mother who has benefited from that offer is Ms Kim Sun Deok, nursing her two-month-old son, Song Do.

'I think it's better than nothing, but it's not enough to help bring up a child,' she said. 'Anyway, many of my friends tend to marry later in life, and by then it's too late to start a family.'

Other regions with dwindling populations are also taking steps such as offering couples a silver bracelet for their newborn - to show how highly valued they are.

Meanwhile, government officials are getting worried over the declining birth rate.

Rural communities like Dongmyun are the worst hit. About half of the village population is over the age of 65, and only 10 per cent of women are of child-bearing age.

Younger couples are also moving out of the countryside to cities in search of better jobs and a better lifestyle.

The falling birth rate is evident across the country. More working couples are put off by the high costs of raising children and the lack of adequate childcare and social welfare facilities.

Mr Shim Jae Kwon of the ruling Millennium Democratic Party said that, in the past, South Korea focused on achieving rapid economic development - and welfare issues were not a top priority.

He admitted that unless rapid steps were taken, the country could begin to suffer economically and face serious manpower shortages.

A shrinking workforce will have to support a growing elderly population. And the country could lose its economic edge.

After decades of actively promoting birth control - which was implemented until 1996 - population advisers are now considering what was once unthinkable: introducing new policies to promote child birth.

Said Mr Kim Seung Kwon of the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs: 'The most important thing is that the government needs to share the economic burden by providing more family allowances and tax breaks.'

Other ideas include longer maternity leave and more public child-care facilities.

But unless such measures are implemented soon, many dwindling rural communities such as Dongmyun may not survive.

BABIES: Stork's not coming

FIGURES about to be released suggest that South Korea may have the lowest birth rate in the world at 1.17 - below the 2.1 rate needed to keep the population at its current size.

This will be a historic low for the country and is part of a downward trend since the 1970s, when the birth rate was more than 4.

The figure was 1.3 in 2001 and 1.47 in 2000.

[cookcounty]

Lowest countries: Western Europe is very low, Then again, the Russian fellas seem to be drinking so much vodka, they can't find their zippers. China is super-low. Singapore can't maintain....hmmmm.

[sushiman]

" You have found the answer, it is incredibly expensive to raise children in the ROK. It is not unusual for parents to budget 40 or 50% of their take home pay for their children's education, the largest part of this going to hogwans (private institutions) or tutors that prepare their children for the multitude of placement tests that determine a students educational future.
Families are also having children later in life than they were before, so naturally they have less time for children.
There is also a strong preference for sons, (the reasons or many and cultural and I don't want to get side tracked) so many families will only have one child if their first child is a son. Many parents who have a daughter will have another child late in life in an effort to have a son.
The divorce rate is rising so many mothers who would have tried for the second child later in life do not because they are now single.
The exodus from the country side in driven by women and children. On average women much prefer city life to farm life, in fact many farmers are marrying Philippino or Chinese women and bringing them to Korea, because they cannot find Korean women who want to live in rural areas. If you want your child to have a chance to get into the best universities, Seoul National, Yonsei, Ewha etc they need access to the best institutes and private tutors these, of course, are found in the big cities.
These are the largest reasons for Koreas declining birth rate and the move from rural to urban areas. "

Same thing is Japan ...

[Torie]

Er what do those nations have in pecularly in common?

[June Cleaver]

Is it Qattara?

[cookcounty]

They each are enamored with the idea of a welfare state, and have no stigma attatched to abortion---Oh there it is in plain obvious sight---they have exceptionally high abortion rates---duh!.

[Torie]

What? Is that somewhere near Shangra La (where one can have risk free sex, or something)?

[Torie]

Singapore (one of the lowest tax jurisdictions on this globe) is enamored with the welfare state?

[cookcounty]

Yes! Singapore has low taxes and loves government intervention in everything. Income taxes are low, but certain taxes are outrageously high.

If you want to buy a car in Singapore, you have to go to an on-line auction, to bid for a PERMIT to buy a car....These run you about $50,000 each. Then there is a big auto purhase tax, $4 a gallon gas (due to taxes) , then you have to buy a little "tollways-pass " meter that keeps track of where you drive and takes the money DIRECTLY OUT OF YOUR CHECKING ACCOUNT As YOU DRIVE!

...And there is no free parking in Singapore. The Welfare department changes the "Provident Fund" tax (social security+ medical insurance) at a whim, according to what the market requires. (In July you can pay 10%, September 8%, October 13%---it all depends on what the one-party Parliament decided yesterday).

Fascinating place, though. Great subway.

[Katana16j]

My geuss for the naton with the lowest birthrate would be hte autonomous republic of Sealand.

A queer little country founded when some mart british chap realzed that one of the Coastal forts built during WW2 was outside of Englands Territorial waters.

So he promptly moved there and declared it his.

www.sealandgov.org for those of you who don't believe me.

[Ben Bolt]

I think on the morrow I'll do some homework as to why Ms. / Mrs . C. Gluck has such an interest in this to write about it .

Digital memo bump .

[Torie]

You are aware that the Singapore government keeps trying to get the ethnic Chinese there to breed with exhortations and actual financial incentives? Does it work? You be the judge. Its fertility rate is 1.36, not much below average actually for the developed world if you exlude the US, which relatively speaking in the developed world is in a breeding frenzy.

[Torie]

News to me. One seems to learn something every day. And here I thought I was good at geography.

[DeaconBenjamin]

I was thinking Hong Kong early on, but thought the guessing game was over when I was reading your comments.

[Torie]

Pretty obvious wasn't it? Hong Kong has a fertility rate of 1.0. It is really quite logical. It is urban, crowded, prosperous, and China is running the place, and discourages fertility.

[DeaconBenjamin]

Gluck of the draw?

[Diddle E. Squat]

So which do you think will next make the list of developed countries: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Malaysia, or Chile? Will all be perceived as such within the next decade>?

I'd say Singapore already qualifies.

[Diddle E. Squat]

On average women much prefer city life to farm life

Green Acres taught me that.

[Torie]

Singapore does indeed qualify. I would say Hungary and the Czech Republic are the most likely, and maybe Poland, because they are geographically desirable to the rich zone. Their terminal birth rates will also help in the short run, if not the long run. Chile is also in the running, but inhabits a bad neighborhood. Malaysia is sort of a bomb waiting to happen I suspect. Those with the money are the Chinese, and they are a minority in a Muslim nation. That is not a good mix. My brother spends a lot of time there leading birding tours, and he has a bad feeling about the place. Thailand on the other hand is an entirely different matter. The place has friendly folks with a good disposition that are hard working, and intelligent.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Chile is also in the running, but inhabits a bad neighborhood

What do you think of Brazil's Lula, is his occasional flirtation with Castro fairly trifle, or actually ominous? IIRC, he is trying to give title to squatters(mainly on gov't land) to turn them into property owners. If they can do a decent job of handling those on private property(yeah, I know that is big 'if'), it sounds like a shrewd move.

[Paul C. Jesup]

Last I heard, for example, India's birthrate had dropped in the last ten years from 6.0 to less than 3.0