"Wow! South Korea Totally Collapsed" - US Scholar Grabs Head Over Birth Rate

Last Year South Korea's Total Fertility Rate 0.78
"Never Heard of Such a Low Fertility Rate"

"South Korea is completely ruined, wow! I've never heard of such a low fertility rate."

Joan Williams, an emeritus professor at the California State University in the United States, made this remark upon hearing last year that South Korea's total fertility rate was 0.78, drawing attention. Professor Williams, an expert in race, gender, and class, was overwhelmed by South Korea's unprecedentedly low fertility rate worldwide.

Recently, a scene from the 10th episode of the EBS documentary 'Population Project: Ultra-Low Fertility,' which aired last month, has become a hot topic on social media platforms (SNS). A related post uploaded on X (formerly Twitter) on the 22nd surpassed 430,000 views in just one day.

In particular, netizens left comments such as "We are worried about our future too," "It seems too late to turn back," "The total fertility rate will drop even further next year," and "The problem is clear, but no one tries to solve it," in response to Professor Williams' reaction.

Total Fertility Rate of 0.78... "Our Society Must Escape Competition"

[Image source=EBS Documentary 'Population Project: Ultra-Low Birthrate']

The total fertility rate refers to the average number of children a woman aged 15 to 49 is expected to have during her lifetime.

Earlier this year, Statistics Korea announced through the '2022 Birth and Death Statistics (Provisional)' data that South Korea's total fertility rate was 0.78. This is less than half of the OECD average of 1.59 and is overwhelmingly the lowest among the 38 OECD countries. Even Japan, where aging is rapidly progressing, had a total fertility rate of 1.30 in 2021, higher than South Korea's.

In response, the broadcast also addressed what our society must abandon to overcome ultra-low fertility. The most frequently cited factor by experts was "competition."

Professor Lee Cheol-hee of Seoul National University's Department of Economics said, "The thing we must abandon the most is competition," adding, "Competitive societies have tremendous inequality." Professor Shin Sung-ho of Seoul National University's Graduate School of International Studies also pointed out, "Another name for competition is anxiety," explaining, "People are always anxious about falling behind in this competition."

"If This Continues, South Korea Could Disappear by 2750"

[Image source=EBS Documentary 'Population Project: Ultra-Low Birthrate']

Previously, foreign media also expressed concern about South Korea's low total fertility rate. In June, CNN in the United States reported, "South Korea's fertility rate last year was 0.78, much lower than Japan's (1.3) or the United States' (1.6), while it is simultaneously experiencing the fastest aging population in the world, leading to problems such as a shrinking working-age population." It further noted, "Young people in South Korea are already under pressure due to skyrocketing real estate prices, long working hours, and economic insecurity."

The UK's Guardian also stated in February, "South Korea is the only country in the world with a fertility rate below 1," adding, "The world's lowest fertility rate and rapid aging are increasing the burden on South Korea's economy and pension system."

Warnings have also been issued that if the low birthrate problem continues, South Korea could face the risk of extinction by 2750. David Coleman, a world-renowned demographer and emeritus professor at Oxford University, said at a domestic lecture held in May, "Population decline is a global phenomenon but is particularly pronounced in East Asia," and added, "If this continues, South Korea faces the risk of national extinction by 2750, and Japan risks losing all its Japanese people by 3000."