[Opinion] Which School Sent the Most Students to Seoul National University?

#. Which school sent the most students to Seoul National University? Yonsei University and Korea University.

#. Which school sent the most students to Yonsei University and Korea University’s medical schools? Seoul National University.

#. Which school sent the most students to Seoul National University’s medical school? Medical schools nationwide.

This is a bittersweet story I heard recently at a college reunion. Is there a joke that better satirizes the concentration in medical schools?

When everyone only aims for medical schools, the education market inevitably becomes distorted. Extreme competition leads students to aim only for prestigious universities, especially medical schools, and private education costs skyrocket. This makes people hesitant to have children. Deciding to have a second child is out of the question. This is one of the many routes causing the national challenge of low birth rates.

There are broadly two approaches to population issues: increasing the birth rate (mitigation) or reducing the impact of low birth rates (adaptation).

The former is much more difficult. Population expert Professor Cho Young-tae of Seoul National University’s Graduate School of Public Health believes that raising the birth rate is practically difficult. Professor Cho said, “Population decline is a ‘predetermined future.’” When the total fertility rate (the expected number of children a woman will have in her lifetime) falls below the replacement rate of 2.1, the current population cannot be maintained. South Korea’s total fertility rate in 2023 is 0.72. Even with optimistic assumptions, the population projection for 2070 is about 38 million. With trends like remaining single, late marriage, and dual-income-no-kids (DINK) households, all signs point to population decline. Professor Cho advises that it is wise to accept the era of population decline as a given and respond accordingly. Experts at a Chatham House roundtable hosted by this publication last year also advised that “the government needs to narrow the focus of its measures.”

The two main pillars of birth rate improvement measures suggested by most experts are work-family balance and regional balanced development. The idea is to create an environment conducive to having children by improving conditions for childbirth, childcare, and education. The ongoing New Year annual project by this publication, “K Population Strategy ? Gender Equality is the Answer,” focuses on work-family balance in companies. Frankly speaking, companies should take the lead. The market from which companies earn money is rapidly shrinking due to population decline. This is a critical issue tied to livelihoods.

Is reducing the impact of population decline (adaptation) easy? The effects of low birth rates are all-encompassing. Schools, the military, companies, religion? the entire nation is affected. The main measures discussed are utilizing the elderly and expanding immigration. Although it sounds simple, there are significant preliminary tasks such as resolving generational conflicts and racial tensions.

Because it is not an easy task, the government established the “Low Birthrate and Aging Society Committee,” chaired by the president with minister-level vice chairs, as the control tower for population measures. It seemed to be running well, but last week some committee members resigned, causing noise. Opinions are expected to diverge between “mitigation” and “adaptation” measures, and budget issues will also be a hurdle. Although it is rumored that reports are still made privately to the president, more support should be given to Vice Chair Kim Young-mi. How about the president, as chair, regularly presiding over meetings at least once a month to maintain focus? Isn’t this a critical national issue where the term ‘population extinction’ is even being mentioned?