The number of births in South Korea in the July-September period increased compared to the same period last year. Hopes are growing for a reversal in the birth rate. What do experts think?

In South Korea, where the total fertility rate (the number of children a woman will have in her lifetime) last year was 0.72, the lowest on record, the number of births from July to September this year was 1.2 billion.
The number of newborns increased by 8.0% (4,523 people) from the same period last year to 61,288, the highest increase in 12 years.
The outlook for the birthrate is predicted to be 0.74. Korean media reports include "Will the nine-year downward slide in the birthrate finally come to an end?" (JoongAng Ilbo) and "Expectations are high for the total fertility rate to turn around and rise for the first time in nine years" (Chosun Ilbo).
Meanwhile, the South Korean newspaper Hankyoreh reported on the expected rise in the birth rate, pointing out that "experts advise that long-term measures to combat the declining birthrate are necessary to sustain the effects of this year's increase in births."
The year-on-year increase in the number of births in the July-September period was revealed in the "Population Trends" report released by the Statistics Bureau on the 27th of last month. The number of births in the first nine months of this year was 178,600, up from 177,315,000 in the same period last year.
The Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo reported that "the number of births has been on the rise for three consecutive months since July this year, and as a result, the rate of increase or decrease compared to the cumulative total for the same period last year was negative for the first seven months of this year.
"The rate of decline narrowed from a record 1.2% to minus 0.4% in the first eight months of this year, before turning upward in September."
In February of this year, Statistics Korea announced that South Korea's total fertility rate for 2023 would be 0.72, a new record low.
South Korea's birth rate fell to 1.74 in 1984, the first time it had fallen below 2. In the 2000s, it fluctuated between 1.1 and 1.3, before finally falling below 1 in 2018 to 0.98.
Among the member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), only South Korea has a birth rate below 1. The rate has not been curbed since 2018, reaching 0.84 in 2020, 0.81 in 2021, and 0.82 in 2022.
In 2022, it will be 0.78, and last year it hit an even lower low of 0.72. The main reason for the declining birthrate is said to be the decline in the number of people getting married.
In Korea, where it is difficult to find a job, the gap between rich and poor is widening due to fierce competition, and there are many cases where people are unable to take the plunge into marriage or childbirth due to financial insecurity.
The term "3-po" was born. In Korea, the idea that child-rearing is the mother's job still remains, and there was a concern that if one got married, they would have to shoulder the burden of child-rearing and housework all at once.
Some women hesitate to get married. Also, as lifestyles become more diverse, some women choose not to get married, and we are now in an age where this is also a value that should be respected.
It is true that the declining birthrate has emerged as a major social issue in South Korea since the early 2000s. The Roh Moo-hyun administration, which came into power in 2003, began to seriously tackle the issue.
The current Yoon Seok-yeol administration has also been working to address the declining birthrate through measures such as building low-rent public housing and accepting immigrants.
In June of this year, Yoon declared a "national demographic emergency." In response to the rapid decline in the birthrate and aging of the population, the Population Strategy and Planning Department (a ministry) was established.
The department will play a role as a control tower for overseeing policies related to the population structure, such as the declining birthrate and aging population, and will promote cooperation between departments and play a coordinating role.
It is expected that the establishment of the Population Strategy Planning Department will be carried out in July by the ruling People's Power Party, which proposed amending the Basic Act on the Declining Birthrate and Aging Society.
A meeting of related departments was held to prepare for the establishment of the system. Representatives from the Ministry of Planning and Finance, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Education, and about 10 other government departments related to population policy attended.
They discussed organizational structure and other matters. As mentioned above, the number of babies born between July and September this year increased significantly in South Korea, as measures to combat the declining birthrate have become an urgent issue. The Chosun Ilbo reported, "The Korea National Statistical Office has
If this trend continues, the total fertility rate this year is expected to exceed last year's (0.72) and reach around 0.74.
According to the Hankyoreh, the South Korean government cited the increase in marriages after the COVID-19 pandemic as a reason for the increase.
"The birth rate is expected to increase due to a slight increase in the population in their early 30s, which is being affected by an increase in marriages since August 2022," said Lim Young-il, head of the population trends division at Statistics Korea.
The rise in the marriage rate also had a major impact," he said, explaining, "There also appears to be a change in perception, as evidenced by a recent survey showing an increase in the percentage of people who said, 'If you get married, you should have children.'"
Amid growing hopes for a reversal in the total fertility rate for the first time in nine years, Lim also said, "Economic factors also influence (the birth rate), so we will have to wait and see whether the rise will continue."
According to the newspaper, Lee Sang-nim, a senior researcher at Seoul National University's Population Policy Center, said, "The current (low birthrate) policies will be effective for the time being, but there is a high possibility that their effects will only be short-term."
"Rather than a policy that just gives something to young people straight away, we need to develop credible policies (with consistent measures)," he said.