[Reporter’s Notebook] Steep Decline in Birthrate, Sluggish Government

"Frustrating, regrettable, foolish."

On the 28th, as the contents of the Low Birthrate and Aging Society Committee meeting chaired by President Yoon Seok-yeol were revealed, parents on online parenting communities poured out their jeers. This was because there were no new or definite measures. The plan only included intentions to find out why previous efforts failed or to supplement and expand existing systems.

The government and the committee said things like "That was the original purpose of the meeting," "This is the first meeting," or "Low birthrate cannot be solved in a short period," but these are all excuses. Analysis of the low birthrate problem and discussions on solutions have been countless since the early 2000s. The Ministry of Health and Welfare and Statistics Korea have also devised their own causes and solutions. The government has even announced comprehensive measures before.

Nevertheless, the president’s remark that "It seems necessary to identify the reasons for failure" is too complacent. Even if measures are announced within this year, it is highly likely that they will "go through legislation" or "start after - years." Months were wasted discussing low birthrate measures due to political controversy, yet the public must wait again for the government’s plans. Newlyweds considering childbirth and parents devoted to childcare cannot help but think the government is "extremely slow."

Unlike the government, the public already knows the reasons for the failure of low birthrate policies. Houses suitable for raising children are still expensive, children face discrimination when living in public rental housing, parental leave in small and medium-sized enterprises is just a dream, discrimination occurs upon returning from parental leave, private education costs are burdensome, salaries are insufficient, working hours are too long, and there is not enough time to spend with children. The public has been experiencing the same problems for over a decade.

The time to review low birthrate policies and focus on selection and concentration has long passed. If this is the government of the country with the most severe low birthrate in the world, there is something else that must be done. It is to invest an unprecedentedly bold budget in overcoming the low birthrate and to implement policies more boldly and swiftly than ever before. To avoid becoming a "frustrating, regrettable, and foolish" government, the mindset of "let’s prepare well from now on" must also be abandoned. The public is hoping for immediate solutions to the low birthrate issue.