"Jjoigo! Jjoigo!"... Seoul City Campaign Controversy Over 'Overcoming Low Birthrate Through Dance'

"This is a Low Birthrate Measure?" Some Netizens Outraged

A Seoul city campaign proposing to use 'Kegel exercises,' which strengthen pelvic muscles by tightening the sphincter, as a measure to address low birth rates is sparking public outrage online. The campaign is reported to have been suggested by a Seoul city council member. Recently, a post titled 'Seoul City Birth Promotion Dance' was uploaded to an online community. The author stated that around noon on the 31st of last month, an event called 'Let's follow along fun and excitingly!! Tighten! Tighten! Seoul City Citizen Health Birth Promotion National Dance-Gymnastics Festival' was held at Deoksugung Stone Wall Road.

Seoul City's Citizen Health Birth Promotion National Dance Banner [Image source=Online Community Archive]

This event took place over five days from the 24th to the 28th of last month. Citizens gathered from 11:50 a.m. for about an hour to participate in dance and gymnastics. The 'National Dance-Gymnastics' was first unveiled at the 'Euratcha Birth Promotion National Dance-Gymnastics Seoul City Campaign' held in Dongjak-gu, Seoul. The event was also proposed as part of a 'low birth rate countermeasure.' On November 9th last year, Kim Yong-ho, a member of the Seoul City Council from the People Power Party, emphasized the effects of Kegel exercises at the 'Policy Forum for Promoting Citizen Health through Barefoot Walking and National Dance-Gymnastics.'

At that time, Councilman Kim said, "National Dance-Gymnastics is an exercise that anyone, regardless of age or gender, can easily do, aiming to promote citizens' health, encourage births, and prevent dementia." He added, "Especially for young women, it is expected to have great effects not only on diet and beauty but also on birth promotion, and for middle-aged people, it is hoped to be effective in preventing dementia."

[Image source = Online community capture]

On the 20th of the same month, at the Seoul City Council plenary session, Councilman Kim personally introduced the exercise and requested a demonstration. At that time, he said, "Let's try doing it together. One, two, three, tighten! We do it together, tightening." A netizen who posted on the online community said, "I took the photo because it was funny," and pointed out, "It's humorous that only people quite far removed from childbirth were dancing at a birth promotion dance."

Many netizens who saw the post and photos responded critically. Sharp comments followed, such as "Who would see that and think they should have a child?", "It's disappointing to think that the low birth rate countermeasure budget is being used like this," and "It would be better to properly take care of the children who are already born."