Kim Bo-mi is 34 and single. She works at a public relations company in Seoul and enjoys vacationing overseas and learning painting, ceramics and tennis. She is satisfied with her lifestyle and doesn’t want to have children.

“It takes more than we can afford to provide a better life for our children’s generation,” Kim said. “I don’t see why I should give up the life I enjoy now by burdening myself with such high costs.”

Korea’s total fertility rate has plummeted to an all-time low, renewing concerns about the economic strain of population decline. The birth rate sank to 0.78, breaking its all-time low of 0.81 last year according to an annual government report. 

Kim and others say the economic burden of child care, workplace conditions and changing family values are all significant factors in the sharp birthrate decline. Expensive housing, the growing population density in Seoul and its surrounding cities, a grim job market and persistent gender inequalities around housework and child care aggravate the situation.

Among developed countries, Korea is the only one with a fertility rate below 1. The OECD average fertility rate was 1.59  in 2020, twice as high as the Korean figure of 0.84. The second lowest, Italy, was notably higher, at 1.2 that same year.

Experts told Korea Pro that young people are making a “rational choice” not to have children.

“Resources are limited now that the country has entered a long-term low-growth era,” said Jeon Young-soo, a demographic expert at Hanyang University. “When they’ve got nothing and no hopes of having more, starting a family to support is a risky bet.”

Young South Koreans are increasingly shifting their focus to maximizing their own potential and opportunities, Jeon said. “Their circumstantial judgment are sharper. They don’t bet on future uncertainty or seek interest through the family but rather maximize the benefit that they have now,” he said. 

UNBEARABLE COSTS 

Like Kim, Park Min-cheol, a 42-year-old factory worker in Gyeonggi Province, does not want to give up what he now has for an extra family member. He and his wife decided not to have kids because of concerns about maintaining financial stability. 

“As a double-income household, we are doing all right now, but with a kid, I know for a fact that it will get extremely tight,” he said. “I also don’t think my kid’s life will be any better than mine under such circumstances. So why bother having one?”

Many people see child care as a lifetime cost they may not be able to absorb. Part of this outlook is due to the Korean education system, which relies heavily on private cram schools in addition to the school curriculum. 

Lee Eun-jin, a 41-year-old raising a seven-year-old boy, says she is overwhelmed by the cost of her child’s private tutoring. She believes it is impossible to have a second child.

“I sent my child to private academies for English, math, music and football, which cost roughly $1,200 a month,” Lee said, adding these subject choices are common among her child’s cohorts. “The cost doubles during school breaks as academies completely take up the role of the school.”

Lee and her husband also spent tens of thousands of dollars to send her son to a private English-speaking academy before he started primary school, roughly equal to the average cost of university tuition fees.

Such academies are highly sought after in Seoul and around the country. The education ministry reported that the number of so-called English preschools nationwide increased from 474 to 811, a 70% increase from five years ago.

According to a recent report published by the Korean Educational Development Institute (KEDI), parents pay for private education because they feel anxious about their children not doing as well in school as their peers. 

So they send their children to private academies to get ahead of others. Only 1.9% of parents said their children do not engage in private education, and 94.3% of those involved in private education found it a burden on the household, the report shows.

“There’s a fear of missing out, living in this society. It is natural for any parent to make sure their kids have access to education resources,” said Yeon Kyu-heon, a 34-year-old working at an automotive manufacturing company. 

Yeon does not mind remaining single with no kids. “I feel defeated facing the child-raising reality,” he said. “That I need to buy a house to prepare for marriage does not help either.”

Building full of private academies, Jan. 2005 | Image: Wikimedia Commons

POPULATION DENSITY

One reason for rising child care costs is that demand outstrips supply, experts say. More than half of South Korea’s 52 million people live in or around the Seoul metropolitan area, creating a practical city-state that struggles to meet its population’s demands.

Cho Young-tae, a professor of public health at Seoul National University (SNU) and the author of ‘Population, Future, Coexistence’ says the capital’s population density leads to fierce competition over limited resources and eventually deters them from having a family.

“The physical density affects people psychologically, as pressure from competition catapults their level of anxiety. That is why the fertility rate is exceptionally low,” Cho said.

The number of babies born in South Korea last year was 249,000, down by almost half from a decade ago. A decrease in the population was recorded for the first time in 2020 and that trend will likely continue.

The total population is predicted to decrease by 27%, from 52 million in 2022 to 38 million by 2070. The rate at which the population is dwindling is so fast that South Korea could be the first advanced economy to see a working-age population decline rate of below 50%.

Experts say these demographics severely threaten the country’s vitality and hamper the national pension scheme, which depends on a stable number of taxpayers to support retirees.

A mother and child, Feb. 25, 2016 | Image: Pexels

WORKPLACE, GENDER INEQUALITY

Young women interviewed by Korea Pro see marriage and child care as being unfair to them when gender inequality is still prevalent in housework and child care. Those responsibilities could clash with their careers, they said.

“So many female friends I know who got married tell me not to get married or have a child unless I can’t bear the loneliness,” said Yang Ji-yoon, a 38-year-old elementary school teacher. “I haven’t seen many dads mulling over how to help their child’s development or support their child’s studying. It’s all on moms.”

South Korean employers penalize mothers and fathers for taking parental leave, even though both are legally entitled to it. 

“I saw so many people tiptoeing around their bosses and colleagues when taking their time off,” said Shin Hye-jeong, a 39-year-old financial researcher. “People don’t want to have a colleague who has child care duties as their teammate, and managers consider it a headache to find replacements for those who take child care leave.”

Lee Hoe-sik, a 40-year-old banker, said he had not taken his one-year paternity leave, worried doing so could affect his job. 

“All of my male colleagues I know who took parental leave missed out on promotions after they got back to work. So I had to hang in there without taking one,” Lee said, adding his absence from child care led his wife to quit her job. “I wish it was compulsory to take paternity leave.”

The government has spent vast amounts to boost birth rates and mitigate child care costs — a total of 280 trillion won ($215 billion) over the past 16 years, according to the 2021 National Assembly Budget Office report. 

The policies include increasing child care allowance and salary during child care leave, cutting working hours for parents, increasing the number of publicly-funded nurseries and supporting fertility treatments.

President Yoon Suk-yeol also attracted voters with a pledge to give monthly handouts of up to $770 (1 million won) to parents starting in 2024.

Many young voters, however, remain skeptical.

“It’s somewhat preposterous that their solution is to hand out more money because of high child care costs,” said Kim Bo-mi.

“Creating a sound environment where parents do not have to pour money into their child’s private education makes more sense.”

Edited by John Lee