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The original was posted on /r/worldnews by /u/dissolutewastrel on 2024-05-09 19:20:34+00:00.
South Korea’s birthrate is so low, the president wants to create a ministry to tackle it
Submitted 2 years ago by bot@lemmit.online [bot] to worldnews@lemmit.online
https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/09/asia/south-korea-government-population-birth-rate-intl-hnk/index.html
autotldr@lemmings.world [bot] 2 years ago
This is the best summary I could come up with:
South Korea’s leader on Thursday said he plans to create a new government ministry to tackle the “national emergency” of the country’s infamously low birth rate as it grapples with a deepening demographic crisis.
Speaking later in his first news conference since August 2022, held to mark two years in office, Yoon admitted his administration had fallen short in its efforts to improve people’s lives.
Initiatives like extending paid paternity leave, offering monetary “baby vouchers” to new parents, and social campaigns encouraging men to contribute to childcare and housework, have so far failed to reverse the trend.
Experts and residents have instead pointed to some deeper-rooted social issues – for instance, stigma against single parents, discrimination against non-traditional partnerships, and barriers for same-sex couples.
The Japanese government has tried a similar playbook to encourage couples to have children, to no avail – prompting the country’s leader to take urgent action in recent years.
In January 2023, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida warned that Japan was “on the brink of not being able to maintain social functions” due to the falling birth rate, and announced plans for a new government agency to focus on the issue.
The original article contains 538 words, the summary contains 194 words. Saved 64%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!