Joo Hyung-hwan, Vice Chairman of the Low Fertility and Aging Society Committee (LoFAS), emphasized on the 6th that flexible work arrangements should be further expanded, such as increasing telecommuting for pregnant and childcare women and expanding staggered commuting hours. He also stated that, in principle, income criteria for support measures addressing low birth rates will be abolished for those intending to marry and have children.
Joo Hyung-hwan, Vice Chairman of the Low Birthrate and Aging Society Committee, is attending and speaking at the Population Emergency Measures Meeting held at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 30th. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@
On the same day, Vice Chairman Joo attended the Anmin Policy Forum seminar at Seolleung The Moim Center in Yeoksam-dong, Seoul, and gave a presentation titled “Measures to Reverse the Low Birthrate Trend.” He said, “The commuting time in our country is among the highest in the OECD, with an average of 120 minutes in the metropolitan area and 116 minutes in large urban areas,” adding, “When you calculate the actual time that can be spent with children, it is only about one hour a day.”
He continued, “If opportunities for telecommuting are provided exclusively to pregnant and childcare women, considering commuting time, they will be able to have family time with their children,” emphasizing, “Among flexible work systems, telecommuting and staggered commuting hours should be expanded.”
Vice Chairman Joo stated, “For the first time since liberation, the population aged 0-4 in our country has dropped to 1.65 million (as of 2021), falling short of North Korea’s 1.7 million,” warning, “If the current situation continues, there is a high risk of facing a national emergency across the economy, society, education, security, and regions.”
He pointed out, “The biggest cause of low birthrate is the lack of good jobs, and those good jobs are mostly concentrated in the metropolitan area,” adding, “People try to get into good universities to secure good jobs, and since good universities are located in the metropolitan area, more than half of the entire population is concentrated there.” He further noted, “Ultimately, solutions must be found in the labor market, but good jobs account for only about one-third of all jobs.”
On the same day, Vice Chairman Joo said that income criteria for support measures addressing low birth rates will be abolished in principle for those intending to marry. He said, “Recently, the birthrate among the middle class and above has dropped sharply,” and added, “For those who want to have children and get married, we intend to abolish income criteria in principle.” He also mentioned, “We are currently conducting a full survey to check whether the budget is insufficient.”
In response to an audience suggestion asking, “If the third child in a family with three children is a son, wouldn’t a drastic measure such as military exemption be necessary?” Vice Chairman Joo replied, “There are not many countries that have introduced drastic measures and succeeded,” and said, “It is desirable to meet the various needs of diverse stakeholders in a detailed manner so that individuals can make choices.” He added, “(Regarding low birthrate measures) a single master key is not enough; many different keys are needed.”
Meanwhile, discussions on measures for an aging society were also held during the presentation. He said, “When preparing for an aging society, it is necessary to distinguish between early elderly (65-74 years old) and late elderly (75-85 years and older), as well as between baby boomers and previous generations,” adding, “Within the elderly population, income, assets, education, health, employment, and social relationships vary.”
He continued, “The national median age is 46 in 2024 and is expected to reach 60 by 2056,” adding, “However, since 24 counties have already reached a median age of over 50, specific individual strategies based on regional characteristics will be necessary.”
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