Rising housing prices lead to a sharp increase in ”illegal children”... The official ”marriage-childbirth” rule collapses in Korea

In South Korea, the number of children born out of wedlock topped 10,000 for the first time last year, hitting a record high. One in every 20 newborns is an illegitimate child.
According to the "2023 Birth Statistics" released by the Korea National Statistical Office on the 15th, the number of children born outside marriage last year was calculated to be 10,900.
This figure represents an increase of 1,100 people (11.2%) from the previous year and is the highest since statistics began in 1981.
The proportion of children born out of wedlock accounted for 4.7% of the total 230,000 births, marking the first time it has exceeded 4%.
The number of children born out of wedlock has decreased from 9,300 in 2013 to 6,900 in 2020, but is expected to increase to 7,700 in 2021, 9,800 in 2022, and
The number of women giving birth has been increasing for three consecutive years until last year. In South Korea, marriage has been considered a prerequisite for childbirth according to social conventions. This is because society has a negative view of "unmarried mothers" who give birth without getting married.
In this situation, the recent rapid increase in the proportion of children born out of wedlock coincides with the "period of rising housing prices," so the reason why the couples in question decided to have children out of wedlock is likely due to "housing price hikes."
In fact, the income standards and other borrowing conditions for policy-backed housing loans are disadvantageous to married couples, so it is not acceptable to borrow without filing a marriage registration.
There are many examples of this. In addition, if a couple gives birth while maintaining a common-law marriage without filing a marriage registration, they can receive tax benefits such as a "single parent deduction," which is also a cause of the "sharp increase in illegitimate children."
It is believed that...