"This Year’s Number of Births in the High 230,000s... Total Fertility Rate Expected to Be 0.74"

7th High-Level Emergency Population Measures Meeting
Joo Hyung-hwan "Number of Births This Year in the Late 230,000s... Total Fertility Rate Expected Around 0.74"
From January Next Year, Maternal Grandmothers Also Eligible for 'Postpartum Care Support Fund'
'Pre-Certification' Stage Introduced in Family-Friendly Certification System

The number of births in South Korea this year is expected to reach the high 230,000s. The total fertility rate is also anticipated to record around 0.74, exceeding the initially projected 0.68. The government explained that this is due to the effectiveness of measures supporting work-family balance and a positive shift in perceptions regarding marriage and childbirth.

On the morning of the 27th, Joo Hyung-hwan, Vice Chairman of the Low Fertility and Aging Society Committee, held the 7th Emergency Population Countermeasure Meeting at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul. In his opening remarks, he stated, "A turning point for reversing the recent low birth trend is being formed," adding, "According to the population statistics released yesterday for October, the number of births exceeded 20,000, marking an increase for four consecutive months compared to the same months last year, and the number of marriages also rose by more than 20% year-on-year, increasing for seven consecutive months."

He continued, "This year, the total fertility rate is expected to be around 0.74, surpassing the initially forecasted 0.68, and the number of births is projected to increase for the first time in nine years since 2015, reaching the high 230,000s," emphasizing, "This is a hopeful sign that foretells even greater changes ahead."

Regarding the rebound in this year’s total fertility rate and number of births, Ko Kwang-hee, Director of the High-Level Low Fertility Policy Bureau, explained, "Policies supporting work-family balance, expansion of parental benefits, and increased support for newlyweds and couples with children related to housing earlier this year, along with a recent perception survey showing a significant rise in positive attitudes toward marriage and childbirth, seem to have collectively influenced this overall trend."

Maternal Mothers Also Eligible for 'Postpartum Caregiver Government Subsidy'... Family-Friendly Certification System Lowers Entry Barriers for SMEs

During the meeting, support measures for maternal mothers in childcare were also discussed. Until now, in the postpartum mother and newborn health management program, mothers and caregivers who are 'family members under civil law' were excluded from government support due to the possibility of fraudulent claims. As a result, while mothers-in-law caring for daughters-in-law could receive government support if they had separate livelihoods, maternal mothers were unable to receive such support, which was criticized as unfair. Starting January 1 next year, related guidelines will be revised to allow postpartum caregivers with health management qualifications to receive government support even if they have a family relationship under civil law.

Discussions were also held on improving the family-friendly certification system. The government plans to introduce a preliminary certification process to the existing family-friendly certification system, establishing a certification framework of 'preliminary certification - main certification - leading company.' The preliminary certification system aims to lower the entry barriers for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to participate in the family-friendly certification program. Additional incentives, such as exemption from regular labor inspections, will be expanded for companies that have maintained family-friendly certification for more than 12 consecutive years.