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,