South Korea is wrestling with what may be the world’s most daunting demographic challenge. With a rate of aging that outpaces any developed nation and a fertility rate that lags behind all other countries, South Korea could shrink by nearly half its size within the century. These demographic pressures are particularly evident in two key areas: schools and rural communities.

To understand the scale of this shift, one need only look to the past. In 1960, South Korea outstripped every contemporary Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) country in birth rate, boasting a robust average of just over six births per woman.