South Korea is facing "extinction" and needs to embrace immigration to stave off its "demographic catastrophe", the country's justice minister has warned.
"When it comes to immigration policies, we have passed the stage of deliberating whether to implement them or not. Because if we don't, we cannot escape the fate of extinction due to the demographic catastrophe," Han Dong-hoon, told a parliamentary meeting in Seoul, reported the Korea Times.
Deaths have surpassed births for more than three years in South Korea amid a steady decline in the country's total fertility rate, the average number of children a woman bears in her lifetime.
The rate hit another record low of 0.7 in the second quarter of 2023 -- much lower than the replacement level of 2.1 that would keep its population stable at 51 million -- stoking further alarm about the social and economic impact of such a rapidly ageing population.
Experts have warned in particular about the consequences of an older and smaller population for the job market, healthcare system and military.
The crisis has made international headlines, with one New York Times opinion piece pointing out that if the current birth rate remained it would lead to a depopulation exceeding what the Black Death delivered to Europe in the 14th century.
Immigration has been touted as one solution to help tackle the shrinking population, but it remains a politically sensitive issue.
Mr Han told a meeting of the ruling People Power Party this week that the country did not have the luxury of delaying crucial decisions like the establishing of a new government agency overseeing immigration policies.
"The immigration policy I plan to push ahead is not aimed at bringing in as many foreigners as possible," Mr Han said. "We aim to make thorough assessments and accept only necessary foreign nationals ... while strengthening the crackdown on illegal residents."
He said the new organisation would mirror similar bodies in Japan and Germany, functioning like a "control tower" to oversee ministries related to immigration.
He also stressed the need to improve existing systems related to refugees and voting rights of foreigners in local elections.
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Why is nobody even trying to encourage increased birthrates??? People don't have kids because they're an inconvenience, make not having kids a bigger inconvenience and you win.
Tie pension to children birthed (or adopted for those who've been properly diagnosed with infertility) with a minimum of 2 per household to qualify, add taxes for being 28+ without children, run propaganda campaigns telling women being a mother is actually good; it worked convincing them putting things in your butt on camera for money, it should be easy to encourage the most basic biological desires. Literally do anything I'll be grateful.
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The biggest factor that contributed to reduced birth rate is abortions and birth control. Ban both of those and you should be good
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Paying parents isn't mean to deter shit parents (they will always exist). Rather, it's positive reinforcement for the numerous couples who are more than ready but consistently cite having no money.
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yeah sure but shithead kids exist today where birth control and abortion are ubiquitous. I just get the sense that reality will set in with some of these mothers once they're pregnant and there's no way out. Also they might consider their partners more carefully and be more likely to have a stable relationship knowing that they can't just whooore themselves around with no repercussion. Probably the transition stage will feature what you describe but eventually we'll land in a good spot.
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shut up nerd. you dont know what will be
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I actually do. For example, in the future my peepee will be pleasured by your mouth.
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No thanks. I don't want 7 million more Shaniquas and ta'avaron.
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Yes, believe it or not, increasing the birthrate of group that costs billions a year with nothing to give in return is bad.
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This dude so fricking r-slurred lol
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Then what's your suggestion?
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Thank you for the invite.
The South Korean is right.
My advice would be to focus on bringing in immigrants from Poland.
Poland has a net negative migration rate, but its population has seen a remarkable boost due to all the Ukrainians moving there.
Poland is also the future center of Eastern Europe, and is low enough economically to be able to attract Polish workers to South Korea with work opportunities.
They aren't no Algerian, but Polish people moving to South Korea would still be a boost to South Korean fertility.
The easiest move South Korea could make however would be to ignore all their own women, boost immigration of women from every third world country that they find acceptable. Don't even need to kidnap them. Just make it easier to move into South Korea. They will themselves willingly come over with dreams of Korean soyboys, I mean Korean popstars.
South Korea also has the option of trying out the fairer skinned Mexicans.
In East Asia itself they could encourage migrant inflows from Indonesia which currently still has higher than replacement fertility rates.
If they seriously follow the model I have suggested, with selective easing of migration flows from certain parts of the world, while maintaining control to ensure lack of criminal activity and joblessness, they should be able to make up a replacement population and get their fertility rates as high as 1.3.
Internally I don't see any options that would work, as all their people are generally intelligent, and it's hard to make intelligent people procreate, especially if they aren't getting two days off in the weekend.
Best thing South Korea could possibly try out internally would be government supported daycares, 5 work days a week, illegal to make work calls during time off, and increased advertisement and funding support to family vacation destinations, with an ever slightly boiling water increase to leaving the rights of single people to stagnant in place, meanwhile offering more and more gibs to families every few years.
Basically, you know how life keeps getting more organized, with more gibs, and more easier as society keeps improving?
Send 70-80% of the gibs of social improvement towards people with families. Give the single people 20-30% of the benefits only.
Call it a survival policy. Or a prosperity policy. Or whatever. Silent incentives.
Loud enough to be visible, quiet enough that you cannot directly attack them and say they are ruining your life and be taken seriously.
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This is a really long way of saying you don't frick.
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It's a long way of saying Koreans don't frick
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Frick this, gooks should embrace emigration, move to Europe and breed like Moslems. In the end japs couldn't genocide them as hard as chaebols did.
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Snapshots:
ghostarchive.org
archive.org
archive.ph (click to archive)
total fertility rate:
ghostarchive.org
archive.org
archive.ph (click to archive)
record low of 0.7:
ghostarchive.org
archive.org
archive.ph (click to archive)
smaller population for the job market:
ghostarchive.org
archive.org
archive.ph (click to archive)
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