"Even with 280 Trillion Won Invested, Birth Rate Hits Record Low"
Case of 100 Million Won Childbirth Support by Booyoung Also Mentioned
The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission has launched a public survey on the proposal to provide 100 million won in cash as childbirth support to overcome the low birthrate crisis.
Since the 17th, the Commission has been conducting a survey titled "Please share your thoughts on providing childbirth support funds to overcome the low birthrate crisis" through the 국민생각함 (People's Thinking) website. As of the afternoon of the 24th, about 15,000 citizens have participated in the survey, which runs until the 26th, and a total of 1,200 comments have been posted. With 1,168 recommendations and 1,483 disapprovals, opinions are evenly divided.
The survey includes questions on whether providing 100 million won per child as childbirth support would motivate childbirth and whether respondents agree with the related financial investment.
The Commission stated, "Despite approximately 280 trillion won being invested in low birthrate measures from 2006 to 2021, the birthrate in 2023 recorded an all-time low of 0.72. There are opinions that the government's low birthrate policies have focused on overlapping or duplicative projects, facility construction, and indirect support such as management costs." They explained that it is necessary to review low birthrate policies through the survey and verify whether direct support to beneficiaries is effective.
They also mentioned a recent case of childbirth support by Booyoung Group. In February, Booyoung Group provided 100 million won per child to employees who gave birth, and employees who had a third child were allowed to choose between childbirth incentives or the right to live rent-free in a permanent rental housing unit of national housing size. In response, the Ministry of Economy and Finance is pushing to amend the Income Tax Act to exempt the entire childbirth support amount from taxation.
Supportive opinions for the 100 million won cash payment included statements such as, "If it is to increase the birthrate, it is an urgent time when even direct cash payments must be considered," and "Since the number of women of childbearing age is decreasing, even if there is a budget, it will lose effectiveness, so this policy must be considered."
However, there were concerns such as, "While money is a big issue when deciding to have a child, the reality for dual-income couples is that it is hard to even take the child to the hospital after birth. Mandatory parental leave should come first," and "Have we already forgotten the case where people adopted just to claim the support money? Parents who have children for the 100 million won and then neglect them will cause social problems."
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