[Population Cliff] ⑤ Despite Pouring 300 Trillion Won, South Korea's Birth Rate Ranks Last Worldwide... A Dark History of Population Policies

Despite warnings of entering a low birthrate society in the 1980s, 'Sanajehan' policy was pushed through
Low birthrate measures introduced in 2006 but timing missed... Policy focus on 'increasing fertility rate' also problematic

[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Kwon Haeyoung] Despite the government pouring hundreds of trillions of won into low birthrate measures over the past 20 years, the birthrate is plummeting. The total fertility rate, which is the expected number of children a woman will have in her lifetime, stands at 0.81, ranking last among the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. The Population Research Institute at Oxford University in the UK has identified South Korea as the first country on Earth likely to disappear. How did Korea end up with the world's lowest birthrate?

Signs of a birthrate in the zero range began to appear as early as 40 years ago. In 1983, South Korea recorded a total fertility rate of 2.06. This fell below the critical threshold of 2.1, which is the minimum for a society to maintain its current population size, indicating that Korea had entered a low birthrate society. However, as the population surpassed 40 million that same year, these signals of population decline were ignored. Under slogans like "One well-raised daughter is worth more than ten sons," the government continued to strongly enforce birth control policies. This was a missed opportunity due to government misjudgment to create a different population structure than today.

The government began to recognize the issues of low birthrate and aging population and respond with policies about 20 years later during President Roh Moo-hyun's administration. With a sense of crisis over population extinction, the government announced the "1st Basic Plan for Low Birthrate and Aging Society" in 2006. According to the National Assembly Budget Office, the government started with a budget of 2.1 trillion won in 2006 and has poured a total of 271.9 trillion won into addressing low birthrate up to 2021. Under the current 4th Basic Plan (2021?2025), an additional 150 trillion won budget will be invested from this year through 2025.

Despite this astronomical budget, the government's low birthrate measures have received failing marks. The total fertility rate dropped from 1.13 in 2006 to 0.81 in 2021, and further down to 0.75 in the second quarter of this year. Although signs of low birthrate appeared in the 1980s, missing the policy timing has led to a situation where problems that could have been stopped with a hoe cannot be stopped even with a plow.

Another problem was that the initial policy goal was set on "increasing the birthrate." Experts point out that the focus should have been on creating an environment conducive to pregnancy, childbirth, and child-rearing rather than on the birthrate itself. Many projects unrelated to low birthrate measures, such as support for game companies and aid for small business owners facing closure, were included in large numbers, making it difficult to expect significant policy effects.

Park Seon-kwon, Legislative Research Officer of the Health, Welfare, and Women’s Team at the National Assembly Legislative Research Office, said, "Along with the world's highest rate of higher education attainment, low employment rates among young college graduates, lack of family support, and deepening stratification in marriage and childbirth choices are also causing the prolongation of low birthrate. The government's low birthrate policies should focus on expanding family support, structurally addressing economic uncertainty in society, and be designed to reduce or eliminate disparities among child-rearing households."