Meeting with Representatives of Duo and Gayeon
"Birth Rate Must Be Raised by Encouraging Marriage"
The government is deeply engaged in devising solutions to overcome the low birthrate. On the 16th, it even held meetings with marriage information companies such as Duo to find ways to encourage marriage among young people. Considering the Korean reality where out-of-wedlock births are not common, it was judged that finding ways to promote marriage is essential to raise the birthrate.
According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare on the 19th, on the 16th, Lee Gi-il, the first vice minister of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, held a roundtable meeting with representatives of marriage information companies at Sangyeonjae in Jung-gu, Seoul, to understand young people's thoughts on dating and marriage and to review marriage support measures. Companies such as Duo, Gayeon, and Modu-ui Ji-in participated in the meeting.
Lee Gi-il, First Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, held a meeting with marriage information companies related to low birth rates on the 23rd, listening to field opinions to support young people who want to get married.
The reason the Ministry of Health and Welfare held the meeting with marriage information companies was that it believed practical policies desired by young people who want to marry could be discovered from these companies, which are actively working toward successful marriages. Vice Minister Lee said, “Unlike major countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) where the rate of non-marital births is high, in Korea, childbirth generally occurs only within marriage. We think it is necessary to provide maximum support to those who have the will to have children.”
He added, “Also, by attentively listening to the related secrets from marriage information companies that are striving to facilitate marriages, we thought it would help us discover necessary measures for the government to promote more marriages.” As of 2018, the average rate of out-of-wedlock births among OECD countries was 41.5%. Countries like Chile, Costa Rica, and Iceland exceed 70%. In contrast, Korea’s rate is about 2.2%. Given this situation, it is considered more realistic to prepare support measures for young people who have the intention to marry as a practical solution to overcome the low birthrate.
During the meeting, policy suggestions for marriage support measures were made. A representative of a marriage information company said, “Most of the concerns of marriage information companies focus on how to resolve the gap in marriage intentions between men and women. The reality is that the female membership rate is significantly lower, so we ask the government to present very bold measures to inform women that marriage and childbirth are definite benefits to their own lives.” He also mentioned, “A long-term government solution to encourage multicultural marriages is needed.”
Vice Minister Lee said, “It was a valuable opportunity to hear the thoughts of young people who want to date and marry and support measures that could help the younger generation’s marriages through marriage information companies working on the front lines to lead successful marriages among youth. The desire for young people to marry is likely shared by both the companies and the government, and we will strive to create a hopeful society where young people can happily date and marry.”
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