I'm a new subscriber! I lived in Korea (cumulatively) for 7 years. I was an English teacher there between 2008-2017. I'm a true introvert and I researched for almost a year before going there, I didn't want to live in Seoul AT ALL. But I knew I wanted to live in Gyeonggi province. So I lived in Suwon, Anyang, Gimpo and Yong in (Cheon-ri area). All these cities and offer exactly what Seoul has as far as living and social amenities are concerned, so I sometimes tell people who want to teach in S. K. to do your research and don't just try to go for Seoul. From what I've experienced, there were a lot of old areas in Seoul that needed serious infrastructure overhauls yet the rental properties were insane (like NYC). I liked living in smaller cities or semi-rural areas because there was a lot nice area development with new facilities and rental properties that were fairly cheap, nice quiet areas with great outdoor walking amenities and no crowds. I miss Korea! 😢😊
Your perspective is majorly thought provoking and I see similarities in all of humanity. I hope we learn from our past and end the repetitious behavior that keeps us living backwards. Thank you so much for sharing this.
@@user-ov4wr5yu4r nah man, the States have succesfully made several megapolis : los angeles, new york, san francisco, austin France has a least 2 megapolis : Paris & Marseille For the UK, well I don't know much domestically but inernationally it's a magnet for immigrants so I'll agree
I’m Korean American so I have some idea of the cultural pressure to achieve, especially professionally. I lived and worked for several years in New York City but it was so clear to me that I would always be on the losing side of the rat race. In spite of making a reasonable salary by most standards, (I am a doctor), I could barely afford to live in New York. I happily moved to a smaller, quieter area where we were able to live comfortably. But most important to me was that I didn’t want my children to be subjected to the incredible pressure in New York and to feel that they were at a disadvantage to all the children of millionaires and billionaires around them.
I'm an adopted Korean person who was raised in the US and am leaving Korea after 7 years, and I don't know if I'll come back full time again. If I did though, I would definitely not return to Seoul. I feel more connected to Korea and the people, when I'm traveling throughout other parts of the country. There's so much potential in the rest of the peninsula but the government is ran by Joseon era ahjussis who can't see the potential of what is right in front of them. I hope more Korean people in their 20s-40s get more involved with local politics, but I don't really see that happening. This is also why I think if the government were smart, they'd be trying to bring more gyopos and adoptees in who have money, interest in connecting to and maintaining aspects of Korean culture, while also bringing in cultural diversity from their experiences living elsewhere. But also what's wild is that South Korea is still exporting Korean babies to western countries via adoption amidst their population decline. ㅋㅋㅋ
They don't want a care burden of them, so they sell them off with Fees. The chaebols who run everything in the country only want population to make and support their own babies to profit chaebols and their continued system in korea. If they continue treating women as worse than dogs since the joseon days, there will be few puppies.
I found the proximity to the king point very interesting. I listened to a Chinese lady explaining why they do not want kids. She said all their lives they were told they were just as good or even better than males and that if they work hard they can achieve success - success being high ranking professional with lots of money and freedom. So haaving kids is a distraction from this goal and because everything is measured in money. Kids get to be seen as expensive and taking away opportunities for yourself.
Thank you for your interesting comment :):) I think it's a really complex issue because it boils down to the question of what we prioritize in our lives the most. As you said, "because everything is measured in money" might be the best diagnosis of the current situation.
It also happen for many of them to want babes later when consider that achieve success and to discover that can not have it ...and start another round of hard times trying all kinds of investigations and treatments and workarounds to have it.
They believed the LIE...how can you people not see it...they want the other half of the population to be tax...no babies equals more tax more spending...someone is losing in life and it ain't the ppl with money wink wink corporations...it is by design ppl, look around and open your eyes
Interesting topic ! I'm currently learning about Korean history and the link between the hierarchy in Joseon and the desire to live in Seoul made me realize how much the past shape people's minds. Keep up the good work ! Greetings from France
For sure, our past shapes our minds. I have always been fascinated by the historical records that some of my French friends have shared with me :) Thank you so much for your support!
It would be wonderful if young people could find small farms or small businesses in places outside Seoul. A calmer life. Beautiful landscapes. Slower life, relaxed. Traveling across the country, finding “villages” of small businesses, great little restaurants and shops and walking trails. That is worth visiting.
If you are not from the countryside,life there can be tricky for newcomers..usually tight knit communities with special rules..it took me only 30 years 😁and I am from a rural area myself(another European country though)
Living in the capital!! For some people it's a Dream Come True for me I live in the states and I never really cared for being in the main cities!! I was in Seoul back in 2019' as I was considering taking an English Teaching Job through EPIC!! I stayed in a local area called Yeonnam and went on many exhibitions in Seoul!! The housing was Expensive according to a friend I talk to and a little bit of everything else 😮!! I personally feel the Low Birth Rate is driven by the fact that the cost of living versus one's lifestyle isn't Enough To Raise A Family!! Being a parent myself I know how expensive Kids can be and if you want to give your children a Good Life you gotta have the finances to Back That Up!! Or at least that's my thoughts on the matter!! Phenomenal 🔥 Video and Thanks for Sharing🧡🤍🎇🤍🧡
So interesting to hear the historical perspective! From an economic perspective, centralization also makes sense because you have many industries and universities all together, which tends to increase both efficiency and innovation. In my country we don't have a single metropolis, but urbanization means that life in rural areas is hard as well. I am looking for solutions to help the countryside self-sustain.
Whether you think location is the main motivation for people to procreate or not, you have more to discover in life. In no way money, country, the capital of X country or anything else in materialistic terms could make a person decide, yes, I want to have children or I don't want to have children. what makes this generation childless is that they refuse to let their children suffer, something that previous generations didn't think about at all, they simply made their children regardless of how unhappy the times were, in chaos or wars. their parents remained indifferent and they simply made them. Nowadays we THINK and perhaps most importantly, we feel with our hearts and decide, because in reality, good people really don't need a PHD or a certain number of books read. They stop creating problems, they minimize them, they don't add to them. Many parents beat up their children and feel no regret even if the child is left crying in the room. one should have a heart to stop that sh1t, not superior studies, not positions in the society, not big titles. A HEART. It's the selfish, empty, indifferent people who don't know what to do with their days and nights, who are still procreating. Those who choose not to have children are the most moral, at peace with their lives and less noisy people than anyone who has ever become a parent. There is nothing mysterious about having a biological child, it is primitive and simple. Anyone, anywhere, anytime can sleep with X and have one or more children. a mystery could be how to make the child live happily and stay alive!
But the birth rate in country regions of Korea are almost as low as birth rates in Seoul, only very marginally higher. Seoul desirability as the reason people aren't having kids can't be the whole picture here, otherwise country areas would show a much larger birth rate difference.
Good question! I would say the demographic distributions are different. The point I was making is that there is a huge influx of young people from the suburbs to Seoul, which causes the issue. On the other side of the coin, the outflux of younger people results in an increase in the average age in other areas. Look at Jeolla-do and Gyeongsang-do. Their average age is almost 50! This is the common diagnosis of demographers in Korea. But as you mentioned, this is not the whole picture and soon we will talk about other factors too.
@@imungjin I live in Gyeongsangnam-do. I'm told that we have one of the lowest birth rates in the country right here in a very country rice/onion growing region of Korea. All the beautiful picturesque small country towns are full of older people and the schools are shrinking, sadly.
Very interesting last point. You’re right that the low birth rate points to a shared societal issue. I personally am exploring the idea that it can be linked to traditional family structure and expectations. And how modern people do not wish to go into this role. If we can “distribute the responsibility more”, I think having children would become far more attractive. “It takes a village.”
This is by design..they are destroying the nuclear family or family unit..too many ppl esp girls are buying into the lie...that is why we see so many Sheng nu left over women who regret not having a family...got all these money, materialistic, phds and what not, but no husband or family and regretting their choice...there are only two choices family or career...you can't have both
The biggest issue with Korea's low birth rate in my opinion is completely different. High CoL, expensive housing markets, and overconcentration of resources in cities are problems in every OECD nation and is already reflected in their birth rate metrics. However, Korea's mandatory military service for men create a huge imbalance in the job market. Let's break it down. By the time men have gone to military, graduated, and found their first real job, they are just about entering their 30's. In any other OECD nation, men have about 4-8 years of real working experience by the time they enter their 30's, this isn't the case in Korea. In the past. they offset this with a point system for men entering the job market but it has since been abolished on grounds of discrimination against women. We're seeing a huge movement of women wanting gender equality while wanting to maintain certain old societal norms. Women are still looking for men with a house and car before they even consider marriage and a lot of Korean men in their 20's find this extremely hypocritical. Why? Because the average Korean is still renting a 1 room studio apartment when they are still in their 30's. It's also very common to see women break up with men who struggle to find jobs in the highly competitive labor market. This leads to gender conflicts and both sides not wanting to marry and have kids. There's deep rooted societal norms that are much bigger issues. Pushing for gender equality while wanting to maintain certain discriminatory societal norms from the past is one of the biggest issues that I don't see anyone talking about in regards to birth rate and marriage in general.
And how Korean soldiers are treated is anpther big horror too. How can people blame somebody's husband and sons, boyfriends right? Korean men were underpaid as soldier and there's some injustice towards them when it comes 무고죄
@@TypeFirstName but u don't release ur pain , stress and anger at home on your wife and children . the husband lashes out at his wife the wife abuses the children and children become bullies in school. that's how the abuse goes. that's why u don't make children if u have no decent means and if you re not sane and moral enough. because otherwise, you're just trash, you can't be called a parent, not even a human being. trash, that's what they are
I thought that with dramas like hometown cha cha and summer strike at least some people would change their mind and move to countryside. But your point is right. Trying to live in the bigger cities is an universal problem.
In Romania ,we have many facilities compared with other countries in europe (maternity leave till 2years ,child rearing allowance like 85% of woman salary) and somehow stop this accelerate birth declin. But is true that I see many colleagues who are single at 40s age not even thinking to have a child. I think they became too selective. Also the speed of life now is feeling diffrent... who knows what future bring for all of us.
@@askosefamerveknowing what you want after you make some a achievements is called being picky?? Then I should called the ones marry young that are stupid and careless!! They don't have a career, stable income and strong personality and they start a family creating problematic kids that carries mental problems to their adulthood!!
@@askosefamerve Normal but ridiculous. Women cannot use wealth and success as bargaining chips for relationships. Youth and beauty was their natural bargaining chips and their most valuable, if they misspent that, at 40 asking for Prince charming is simply nuts.
Interesante explicación. Me gusta conocer sobre la cultura de otros países, Corea es uno al que quisiera visitar por su comida y tradiciones. Saludos desde un hermoso y pequeño país del norte de América del Sur, Ecuador, donde estamos orgullosos de nuestra riqueza cultural y natural, a pesar de los problemas en la seguridad; pero estoy segura de que la situación mejorará. Éxitos con tu canal :)
Muchas gracias. Estoy convencido de que todos los países tienen algo único que ofrecer, y espero que Corea te encante si decides visitarla. Aunque nunca he estado en Ecuador, tengo un amigo ecuatoriano :) y siempre he oído maravillas sobre la belleza de su país. ¡Aprecio mucho tus buenos deseos
Imagine a country where the exorbitant cost of raising a kid is exceeded only by the astronomical youth suicide rate wondering why the birth rate there is low... And I say that out of love and compassion.
I've been following for years one Korean youtuber, a little girl. Due to her extreme beauty and charm she's been very successful. She's going to be in an upcoming public service ad for the birthrate problem. But despite all the success and money, the mother wasn't willing to have a second baby and allowed her IVF embryos to get tossed. So yes, this is 50 million people making decisions.
The same overconcentration of resources I experienced in Russia and Britain (with Moscow metropolitan area and Grater London holding a huge proportion of population and resources). I've heard France with Paris is the same. Personally I find that this kind of overgrown cities is very difficult to have a family, in spite of many opportunities that they provide. People become more demanding about their partners and more distracted from having relationships by other temptations.
Hi. So people move to Seoul which is very expensive so they can't afford things which lead to low birthrate. Has anyone has a data if the population doesn't decline in areas where the costs of living is low like Daegu or Busan or in general excluding Seoul? Thanks
*The beliefs and desires of one's heart shapes and reveals the reality of who you really are.* -Gail Adams All is vanity and because of that this countries's international reputation suffers along with a revealed breakdown of intranational societal relationships due to their prejudices, disrespectful attitudes, and racial bias mindsets. People in every society wrongly believe creating high class living and expensive environments denotes success. Especially the Korea society. Keeping up with the Jones along with bias traditions on other cultures is killing there society. If what many of these RUclipsrs are reporting about this country's vanity and narrow minded perception on beauty, skin color, bulling, male societal sexism views shaped by ingrained beliefs on women rights supported by male dominated government and law enforcement, so on and so forth it is not a surprise like Japan and other countries whose citizens has a Borg collective mentality is on a destructive downward spiral. *You cannot change the mindset of others.* However, bringing attention to negative mindsets helps those *who do not lie to themselves to fit in* make better informed choices when visiting or living there.
People have a more affordable life but the goal is always Seoul. If not for themselves but for their kids. The goal will be sending their kids to Seoul for school. Maybe before college. But yes the push should be more kids in other areas. This push to have people in Seoul have 2-3 kids is like the U.S. trying to have people in Manhattan to have 2-3 kids? There are several cities with hundreds of thousands of people. But there are videos all over RUclips about how even Busan does not have infrastructure and people go to Seoul for medical treatment. There was a couple and a child bringing their child from Ulsan to Seoul cause the hospital there would be not even put an IV in her. So bizarre. I hope there was a translation issue with that one. There was a report that New Sejong City actually had a birth rate just over 2. I think less outside work commitments required since so many left families in Seoul. Also it’s a new place so they could plan out the day cares. In rural areas schools have closed. You would send your kid to a school where they are the only pupil in their classroom? Or one of 25 for all grades?
@@kristinesharp6286 You wouldn't get education for your child because your neighbor doesn't have a child in school? If there was a good teacher, i would. I would also teach them at home. If there is internet or only books, i would. I would borrow or trade. The world rarely works but knowledge is power. There are country people throughout the globe. Because there are few is no excuse to be ignorant. Teach your children to love to learn and it serves for life.
@@foggylegg6362 you are not following what I said. What I said was for people too far outside of Seoul the only local choice for education may be a school with only a few children in each grade. Or only 1 entering 1st grader. It’s happening all over South Korea and Japan. So even a couple living outside Seoul in certain neighborhoods of even Busan they would pressed to move and be concerned with real estates prices and job relocation because they would move cause their child is the only student if they stay. Where did I say anything about neighbors not sending to school? Almost no one home schools in Korea. But that neighborhood the kids grew up and no young families moved in. What they do in rural Korea is drop out and get a one room in Seoul and student for the entrance exam. They send their kids to public school but then they send their kid to a second school late at night to have Korean and English and Math classes all over again outside the regular school day. Cause everyone else is. In Korea everything is done cause everyone else it doing it. What the news needs to do pieces on is the family who has the third child, or the mom who works and the day care center and employer that makes it work. So people are hearing employers and day care centers make it work. That people have more than one. Now they are doing pieces on single living. Empty schools. So the collective sees the should be single and childless.
That's so interesting, I never thought of it like that. Thanks for sharing and what's it going to take to not buy into that way of thinking and choose to live your life and create a living that's beyond the Joseon's old way of being? Thanks for the content and I look forward to seeing more about your perspectives and I hope you choose your own happiness!!
Koreans study and work very hard and live with the heavy burdens of competition and judgment. People who are so energy and life depleted don't feel like they have enough energy to raise a child well. Personally, I would not my child (or chuld) to study all day, all night, all the time with lots of stress. I wonder if this factors into the decision for Koreans as well.
Would be great if you could compare this with North Korea and discuss the differences
4 месяца назад+1
Thank you for this video. Would you please address another ( related) issue? I wonder how people living in Seoul think about / feel about the proximity with north Corea and the danger/ risks it can imply. I was reading about Corean History and about the ( many times) north Corea invaded and raided Seul, and after that i've read about how the modern nuclear power could erase Seul if the north so decide ( but the south would be safer). It puzzles me that safety would not be a concern...
it is not fair to bring another soul into this place, as we use it. all we know is we had no choice in our presence here. life is ot a thing you do. life is a thing being done to you. you did not start it, and you can not stop it. whatever we did, it was not quite a success.
With Busan an up and coming city, do you think it will ri al Seoul? It has to help to alleviate some of the expensive housing. Also, do you think that the government should or will put more income into other korea areas. Pohang, Daegu for example.
Birth rates are declining in higher GDP countries because the young no longer believe their efforts will reward them with enough to survive, so a family seems too expensive or unrealistic to have. TLDR; All living beings reproduce according to the perceived amount of available resources and will slow down reproduction when resources are perceived as being critically low. With the increase in awareness due to social media, the growing dissappearance of the middle class and the increased amount of effort required to meet our most basic needs (shelter, food, safety, etc), people are instinctively choosing their best path to survival and are delaying having families. Kids are a luxury now and social media has brought to greater light the socially reinforced power imbalance in traditional hetero relationship dynamics, which has instigated an aggressive gender divide amongst the age groups that normally start families. Since hetero relationships have traditionally also produced the most offspring, this divide is further reducing birth rates. Between not knowing if success is actually obtainable through hard work anymore, hetero relationships needing more balance in power dynamics and gender expectations, the growing uncertainty about the economic, resource and political stability amongst high GDP countries, and the young now being disenchanted with the world they're growing up in, this sharp decline in birth rates was bound to happen.
I disagree. Why? Because we're seeing a global phenomenon. Japan has this issue. The Nordic states have this issue. Two regions that one wouldn't put in the same cultural basket. But somehow, the birthrates are dropping. Housing costs. I'll lump that into living costs. And yeah, that's a huge impact. Children are expensive. However, even when subsidized, we're till seeing drops. For example, drops in US birthrate and we can claim it's medical costs. But then, we look at say Germany and they have a form of national healthcare and still...drop in birthrate. The older generations will claim that it's because the younger generations are selfish. One. After WWII, the world had a baby boom. Our modern societies have never had that kind of boom and they have played a major part in shaping our world. Unfortunately, not everything they did is good and unfortunately, they are still around and demanding more of the pie at the expense of their children. I don't blame them. Each generation is somewhat interested in common issues that impact them in particular. But the outsized size of the baby boomers means that their voices are heard and their needs are addressed which means that other people don't get their needs fulfilled. Then, we have women and this is a big one so I'm going to make another comment reply to elaborate.
The elephant in the room is women. Thankfully, most of the world has decided that women are people. Unfortunately, social norms and infrastructure haven't updated yet to the point where it's easy to be a woman. Men will whine about the draft or whatever but have you noticed that we never consider women getting pregnant as a form of biological drafting? Women die from pregnancy too. They feel the biological effects of pregnancy too. But they're supposed to suck it up and pretend the baby makes up for it. Unfortunately, they are rarely given the time to make that recovery. Instead, they have to take care of the newborn, take care of the other kids, take care of the house, take care of their husband, take care of their parents, take care of their husband's parents, and go to work. Aren't you exhausted? Oh, and they aren't allowed to complain. After all, motherhood is sacred and all that other bs that society pushes because society doesn't want to acknowledge that it is exploitation. Why should a woman give up her earning potential and her life all the time? What makes motherhood so special? How many of the concerned people would be willing to live that life? You see, I suspect that all those people who are so concerned about population birth rates are thinking "You must sacrifice for me and the greater good." So what's the solution? I guarantee it isn't forcing past ideals and norms onto us. Instead, we need to remove the dead things from our living societies. The dead things include people who cling to the past and are a burden to the living. It's time to stop demanding that the marginalized sacrifice. Instead, we should be asking the kings and the queens and our elders and the powerful to sacrifice for us. Let the dead things die. The living, regardless of their age, always bring life. They aren't a burden. It's only the dead things that are a burden.
Dynasty is NOT pronounced die- NASty. (It's not like unalive plus the word nasty.) It's DINE-is-tea. Like fine dining. His English is almost perfect, but this is a fairly common mistake.
Actually I have heard both pronunciations from native speakers of English. This is one of those words where the pronunciation differs by region, but both are acceptable. ruclips.net/video/UIxwV-nBFUE/видео.htmlsi=sItkIMCiG_4m1-oU
@@imungjin Don't worry about it, your English is fine. English is flexible enough to cope with numerous pronunciations and regional variations. In the UK we generally wouldn't even pronounce it DINE (that tends to be the US variant) we'd say 'dinnesty,' lol!
Canada have low birth rates, gouvernement increased immigration, cost of living increased, birth rates decreased even more, gouvernement again increased immigration and now we are facing an increase of cost of living with the cost of rents and housing increases like never before…to many people were accepted in versus the capacity, we have lack of rents and housing and the pressure on healthcare services are to much to handle…if life where good probably the birth rate would increase by itself, for life to be good people need more free time to enjoy life, cost of living more affordable so people would have some money to be able to enjoy life and a peace of mind in being able to put some aside for old age, and hope and confidence will be back, hope and confidence that their children will have a good future…nobody want to make children just for them to struggle…to much greed and corruption of the higher up people lead us to where we are.
Besides, immigration policies, not only in Canada but everywhere, are too lenient about allowing even gang members to get in, based on "family reunion" or "humanitarian" issues. That is shifting once very good societies into places full of ghettos and "no go" zones. But I know my comment will be tagged as "hate" and deleted, so God bless you about your future...
Even if Canada stops all immigration tomorrow and deports all the gang members the price of living won't go down. Canadians flock to cities just like Koreans. Canada is HUGE, empty homes and affordable rent exist. Heck if you're feeling like a minority in your country there are places without any immigrants at all. But people don't want to live or work in those places. To most Canadians most of Canada is invisible. Homes are being built like crazy everywhere, but if it's in the city it's highly competitive and if it's not in the city it's not even considered.
@@seekittycat i understand what you are saying and agree, but also something has to be taken into consideration, why Canadians wants to live in big cities instead of country side….services…there’s little to none services …like healthcare, professional services, schools etc…I live one hour north of Montreal, 2 hours in trafic on pick hours, in a small town, most of the people living here don’t have a doctor and the clinic we have don’t take anymore patients they are full and even if you are assigned to one it’s a battle to have an appointment, and it’s not open after 5pm and no weekends to, and the public transportation is none existent, you have to have a car..companies don’t want to establish there so not enough jobs to…the rents are high considering what it is worth and low paying jobs…my husband and I decided to live here in 1994, because it was cheaper, but now 30 years later it’s not because many came because of that, our town increased in population, but not in services and the rent prices and houses are not far behind what you can find in Montreal….to many people increase demand and the offer didn’t fallow…same everywhere I guess
Europe and US began suffering from low birthrate long before Korea and Japan, they just keep getting more immigrants, I'm not saying that's a good idea but the birthrate problem exists in every advanced economies
In Australia highly educated migrants in government jobs and newly graduted government workers all have to spend a certain amount of time in rural area's before they can get positions in the cities. We now have 500,000 people migration to Australia yearly all our capital cities are bursting and many rural towns are lacking housing as well. I think we'll see a bigger decline in birthrates here soon too. I love living rural. Also this city better than countryside thing seems to also have roots in Chinese culture possibly for a similar reason. I watch a lot of vertical C Drama and the characters are always despised for living in the countryside.
Let's be real people moving to Seoul isn't a learned behavior, it is a city. And because it is a city it has more resources, more job opportunities, More entertainment, more things to do, and convince. Just like any other city and why most people move to cities. So that still doesn't explain why the birth rate is dropping at all. And from the news that is coming out of there I think we all know why The birth rate is dropping. Short of you living in a 11x9 apartment I don't really see how housing will be to small for a relationship? At the minimum And with 2 people living on an income I don't really see why it would be hard to save up and get a bigger place to start a family. I'm Japanese/Chinese American. Every place else has it off better then us. Everyone else but us has some type of Universal Healthcare. We don't, we get shit pay most other countries pay better and more. It's understandable why our birth rates is dropping we're to busy just keep our head above water. But somehow we still manage to start families. No the real reason why the birth rate is dropping is more because there is more Incels that doesn't treat women very good. And no woman would want to have a child with someone like that. Sure are there good men out there Yes but unfortunately they are hard to find. And not very easy to find, it's not like they have a sign saying "Mr Right" over their head. It has nothing to do with Seoul Or other places in Korea. It is how people treat each other. You may choose to deny it or learn from it and be a good person not just in words but in action to. Often I have guys tell me how much of a "Nice guy" they are and cone to find out they are not. But if you are truly a good person and treat people right and your girl right and have integrity. Then you have nothing to worry about. But let's not bullshit us and say it's people moving to Seoul. Fact is people can change, people can fight back for a better life. Most of the time it doesn't happen. Because guys like the Patriarchy and think they benefit from it, The guys that are actually good most likely doesn't want to change it because they don't want to make any waves, and women can't fight against it because everyone trys to shut them down.
It's actually quite simple to see why birth rate is so low in Korea. I'm surprised people don't mention that Korean men are barely entering the workforce as they enter their lates 20's and early 30's due to mandatory military service. This creates a highly unbalanced labor market in regards to both genders. In the past, Korean men received points for their military service that would help them with their job search. This has since been abolished on grounds of discrimination against women. The gender issue in Korea is complex. Women are becoming more and more independent and constantly shouting for equality while wanting to preserve old social norms such as men needing to have at least a car and an apartment for marriage. This is what Korean men in their 20's find hypocritical and leads to the gender conflicts we see today. This has led to both sides just not bothering with marriage or marrying in their mid to late 30's when they actually can afford an apartment.
@@amehayami934 the answer to the problem is in your first two sentences. Women simply want to integrate back into society and it is easy to do so (thus, the imbalance of childbirth in more populated cities). With constant pressure by the media pushing female beauty standards affecting their self-image and self-esteem, having multiple children is more of a setback than an investment; and if they don't like their husband, divorce is made an easy option. I would also argue that society was more patriarchal with less equality for women in the past than it is now. If society endured loss and trauma in wars and occupation, men would be much more hostile and abusive towards their women and children. The disfunction in black-american families today is partly due to the tremendous abuse they've endured during slavery.
@@dshyon as far as getting married at all, it is a matter of options for women. Taking part as a single woman in a dynamic society outweighs the option of settling down and having children with a provider that might not be capable of doing so, or raising their station in life. It can be seen as a greater risk to their current situation. Women have the option to wait and seek better opportunities, simply put. Marriage is not necessary for their survival or success as it once was in the past and the media pushes this narrative.
It's nickname is "old people and the sea". It has the highest amount of elderly people compared to young people. Everyone is moving to Seoul. Finding a good workplace with a high payment is hard, there are not many major companies there and the salary is lower
@@Lunicia Thanks. Then is Busan a 'retirement city' where elderly people move to? Or, are they the elderly that are left behind while the young are moving to Seoul?
I lived in Busan for 10 years. I wouldn't live there or Seoul. The only thing I disliked about Busan was the people. They are grumpy and hot headed. The drivers have no patience. Busan is like New York of Korea when it comes to people attitude. Grump old men curse a lot and get mad quick.
The thing is Seoul has several apartments 32P and larger. They are occupied by single or couple elders. Those elders would not downsize. When those elders have to leave for redevelopment they will build 25P and smaller units. Eventually they will tear them down for more green space cause Seoul sees it success when apartments grow 40% in 5 years and failure when it drops .2% in a quarter. South Korea is a developed economy with an emerging economy mindset. The government of South Korea, enlisted media assistance as well said even one is too many for our crowded country. Policy and programming has been used to instill babies are expensive, unnecessary for happiness and a burden. The government of South Korea encouraged and allowed 12 hour work shifts. The courts permitted after school academies until all hours of the night. The generation of adults supposed to be having kids never had a family life or family time. The country where abortion was illegal had 300K of them a year. The country that shows ultrasound at every appointment legalized abortion. How bizarre? The country that exported children long after the fighting stopped. I do think it’s about hierarchy. You are stuck with you class for life. Reunions. Constant comparison. Why? Because when a student it didn’t matter if you got 85% on a test. That was not a B. That was a rank 4 of 9. Cause 23% of students scored higher. It is so stupid. So when they go to a wedding or a reunion and their classmate did not marry or have kids in a higher rank what right do they to? It is totally like the poor monkeys. And the constant the birth rate is failing on the news is presented in a way to keep it down. It’s reminding people that most people are not having babies. Telling the masses they would be doing what is expected by not having babies. They constantly talk of apartment prices in Gangnam. In the U.S. we don’t get almost daily reports on the price in Palo Alto. In the US people live in NY single, with roomates. When they have kids or many they move out of the city, even if they remain working for the city. Of course the U.S. has internet. People can work remotely. If only South Korea had internet a person could still work in Seoul and follow their spouse to New Sejong City. Or the entire family could move to Yongin or Daegu. LOL This having to finish college, finish mandatory military, buy outright a home before marriage has people not marry until fertility is unlikely. This was the plan encouraging college all those years ago. You wont have 6 if you start having kids at 26 after college and after earning the money to set up the house. You might only have 2-3 kids. Delaying childbirth for many of the more fertile years. In the U.S. college students can marry and start families. In the U.S. a parent can go to college and get a job after no matter the school attended for most jobs. In Korea the only reason English is a subject in the Korean entrance exam for college is to further qualify some people over others. Causing families to spend more of their private education. But really the purpose was so some people would leave the country. And students left. And they often stayed away for work as well. The just have 2 kids should have stopped in the 80’s. The mindset behind policies mostly taking place during the time of dictatorship are still in place country. The cold water is gone but aversion remained. It’s why people with an extra room for a closet, 12 pairs of shoes, nonseasonal food year round, no fees for school through high school think they are too poor for marriage or kids. That the economy is terrible. People have the mindset back from when they could not send all their kids to middle school or high school with the fees, that they didn’t get chosen for the housing lottery, that rice was scarce and bananas not widely in shops costing a lot, where people didn’t always have shoes as today. Why must Koreans have a years worth of Kimchi in the house at all times? It was not available year round and the memory of hunger.
I like your view, but i think it has more to do with the misogyny and treatment of females in the society. The fact that youre ignoring that is the problem.
What ur saying is everyone is so much in competition with each other trying to climb that materialistic social ladder which is in the capital city, 0:15 which is Seoul. Which because of everyone wanting to live there have increased prices on real estate. And because people now in order to maintain the life style.they have to exclude having children because they are not willing to move to another part of the country and make that sacrifice. That my conclusion.correct me if I’m wrong.
Pick a goal and talk about if you achieved the goal you picked, what the journey is like towards your goal, what thoughts you had while going about achieving your goal, what obstacles and distractions present themselves to you while you were on the path towards your goal and obstacles and distractions that are distant and will or already slow and hinder you from your goal and your responses to the obstacles and distractions. For example, my goal is to eat good food. Everything I interact with is only so I can eat good food and at all times I am not eating good food I am dealing with an obstacle or distraction or obstacles and distractions. I live in the U.S.A.
Same in Thailand I guess. Bangkok is like another country. It is the only place that well developed and extremely dense in population. Unlike Korea, there are more well developed satellite cities near Seoul with better air and infrastructures.
What the government is doing for people in your country centralisation of development is big problem to you decentralisation is very important for every country we don't hear any news about your country except kpop,and kdramas people also will change to solve your problems
very great points my friend,statitics need to go with other humane characteristics to figure things out in bigger point of view,sadly many big cities are looking at Korea particularly Seoul or any place with such vapidly developed economy and tryna take that bliding light back to their countries, in order word we need to stop destroying ourselves as a human race. Take care and i hope you have a great life!
I'm going to comment on your low birth rate video here as the number of comments there are too many and I don't know if you'll see it. The first thing I will say is Korea and the Korean people are awesome. They have all the positive aspects anybody in a democratic society could ask for. Tending to be self starting, self motivated and strive for success. I'm not saying other peoples don't do that, but Koreans do that very well. You're probably correct in not saying what you're actually thinking, that is Koreans get it wrong that moving to Seoul to be in the center of the population is a need to be successful, it's not. I'd actually argue that sometimes success is measured by some of the very wrong things, like money, fame, or notoriety. Very generally speaking, young people dream of these things but find out very soon some of those may be unrealistic, so they chase the easy one of the 3, money. Money is not the end all to happiness, self fulfillment is much more satisfying. Don't take that the wrong way, money makes the world go around and you do not want to ever be worried about "making ends meet", which is very different from cash flow, but that's another discussion. You're on the correct path in that self fulfillment, or doing things that make you happy and fulfilled are much more enjoyable. Personal drive and ability to "see more" is a very difficult thing to come to terms with, but there is more available or fulfilling things than fame and notoriety. Being driven by other people, being forced to study as a child by your parents with the windows blackened is not positive (you know what I mean). What's inside you that makes you happy and drive you it. I'm guessing you're in Madison and I am originally from Wis. I watched several of your other videos, Trump vs Harris rally, and from my perspective your ideas were very correct from my perspective. Watching them I noticed you concluded that the Trump rally was "down to earth" people that were just trying to make a living and be themselves. Harris rally was more about the "sophisticated" trying to be there. I could be wrong, but that's kind of what I got from them. I also picked up that the people you associated with told you some very bad info ont the Trump supporters, and that's disappointing to me. People are not generally evil or awful based on politics, it's just not like that. What they are is a product of environment and experience, so that's where their perspective comes from. I'm not trying to be negative about either, but as an older man from that area, I do understand those people very well. Who they are, where they came from and their perspectives. The more rural population is where I come from and while there are some "rednecks" among them, they are intelligent enough to listen and understand. I could continue with this, but I've probably bored you enough already. Good luck, and hopefully the idiot rednecks don't scare you off, most of those clowns aren't nearly as bad as they like seem or think they are. Just remember you're in a bit of a bubble in school there, you have good kids that worked their butt of to be there, the legacy and wealthy whose parents pay and have paid to be there and you, the foreign students that the good kids compete with and the legacy kids look down on. You're not alone so just do your best.
Ur anti centralization civilization perspective is the opposite direction from the uniqueness of korea situation The top of the tree from above look same But the root is diverse Though in general i dont see centralization n traditional culture is problem other than proper management Or that the general core of every problem The bigger the system the more complex it bcome the more precise management it need Precision require deep perception
Korea adoptee here. Domestic adoption still isn’t widely done. International adoption has had a lot of changes in recent years. The restrictions of international adoption have resulted in fewer adoptions and more children staying in orphanages, and even growing up in them.
@@deekang6244 International adoption is a difficult topic. I feel that kids shouldn't have to grow up in an orphanage , but I also find it sad that many International adoptees lose the connection with their culture. I'd love to know your thoughts on that as an adoptee.
Hey, you make a very good point. What strikes me right away when I see your thumbnail picture is that you can look a lot better with a different frame for glasses and possibly hair style. The current glasses is magnifying the smallness of your eyes.
Leading to politically correct feminism. Women in Korea face dangers like any other women would, but the problem is that the law doesn't protect them. I've NEVER seen a rapist or a domestic abuser get their proper sentences in Korea. Korean feminists only seem to focus on tedious and stupid aspects of feminism such as attempting to police language instead of the actual problems.
I think it also has to do with younger generations being more selfish, with a “it’s all about me” attitude. Plus more singles unable or unwilling to commit to a long term relationship for child rearing.
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
I'm a new subscriber! I lived in Korea (cumulatively) for 7 years. I was an English teacher there between 2008-2017. I'm a true introvert and I researched for almost a year before going there, I didn't want to live in Seoul AT ALL. But I knew I wanted to live in Gyeonggi province. So I lived in Suwon, Anyang, Gimpo and Yong in (Cheon-ri area). All these cities and offer exactly what Seoul has as far as living and social amenities are concerned, so I sometimes tell people who want to teach in S. K. to do your research and don't just try to go for Seoul. From what I've experienced, there were a lot of old areas in Seoul that needed serious infrastructure overhauls yet the rental properties were insane (like NYC). I liked living in smaller cities or semi-rural areas because there was a lot nice area development with new facilities and rental properties that were fairly cheap, nice quiet areas with great outdoor walking amenities and no crowds. I miss Korea! 😢😊
Your perspective is majorly thought provoking and I see similarities in all of humanity. I hope we learn from our past and end the repetitious behavior that keeps us living backwards. Thank you so much for sharing this.
It's the same for Tokyo & Jakarta. Living in the capital is considered a status symbol
I made a video about this topic! Thank you for inspiring me :) ruclips.net/video/cz0MRxcriCA/видео.html
It's the same in Brazil as well, about living in São Paulo.
And Paris, London and New York.
@@user-ov4wr5yu4r nah man, the States have succesfully made several megapolis : los angeles, new york, san francisco, austin
France has a least 2 megapolis : Paris & Marseille
For the UK, well I don't know much domestically but inernationally it's a magnet for immigrants so I'll agree
I’m Korean American so I have some idea of the cultural pressure to achieve, especially professionally. I lived and worked for several years in New York City but it was so clear to me that I would always be on the losing side of the rat race. In spite of making a reasonable salary by most standards, (I am a doctor), I could barely afford to live in New York. I happily moved to a smaller, quieter area where we were able to live comfortably. But most important to me was that I didn’t want my children to be subjected to the incredible pressure in New York and to feel that they were at a disadvantage to all the children of millionaires and billionaires around them.
I'm an adopted Korean person who was raised in the US and am leaving Korea after 7 years, and I don't know if I'll come back full time again. If I did though, I would definitely not return to Seoul. I feel more connected to Korea and the people, when I'm traveling throughout other parts of the country. There's so much potential in the rest of the peninsula but the government is ran by Joseon era ahjussis who can't see the potential of what is right in front of them. I hope more Korean people in their 20s-40s get more involved with local politics, but I don't really see that happening. This is also why I think if the government were smart, they'd be trying to bring more gyopos and adoptees in who have money, interest in connecting to and maintaining aspects of Korean culture, while also bringing in cultural diversity from their experiences living elsewhere. But also what's wild is that South Korea is still exporting Korean babies to western countries via adoption amidst their population decline. ㅋㅋㅋ
They don't want a care burden of them, so they sell them off with Fees. The chaebols who run everything in the country only want population to make and support their own babies to profit chaebols and their continued system in korea. If they continue treating women as worse than dogs since the joseon days, there will be few puppies.
I found the proximity to the king point very interesting. I listened to a Chinese lady explaining why they do not want kids. She said all their lives they were told they were just as good or even better than males and that if they work hard they can achieve success - success being high ranking professional with lots of money and freedom. So haaving kids is a distraction from this goal and because everything is measured in money. Kids get to be seen as expensive and taking away opportunities for yourself.
Thank you for your interesting comment :):) I think it's a really complex issue because it boils down to the question of what we prioritize in our lives the most. As you said, "because everything is measured in money" might be the best diagnosis of the current situation.
It also happen for many of them to want babes later when consider that achieve success and to discover that can not have it ...and start another round of hard times trying all kinds of investigations and treatments and workarounds to have it.
They believed the LIE...how can you people not see it...they want the other half of the population to be tax...no babies equals more tax more spending...someone is losing in life and it ain't the ppl with money wink wink corporations...it is by design ppl, look around and open your eyes
Interesting topic ! I'm currently learning about Korean history and the link between the hierarchy in Joseon and the desire to live in Seoul made me realize how much the past shape people's minds.
Keep up the good work !
Greetings from France
For sure, our past shapes our minds. I have always been fascinated by the historical records that some of my French friends have shared with me :) Thank you so much for your support!
It would be wonderful if young people could find small farms or small businesses in places outside Seoul. A calmer life. Beautiful landscapes. Slower life, relaxed.
Traveling across the country, finding “villages” of small businesses, great little restaurants and shops and walking trails. That is worth visiting.
If you are not from the countryside,life there can be tricky for newcomers..usually tight knit communities with special rules..it took me only 30 years 😁and I am from a rural area myself(another European country though)
There are some interesting korean series and movies suggesting this healthier choice. I would do this if I was younger.
Living in the capital!! For some people it's a Dream Come True for me I live in the states and I never really cared for being in the main cities!! I was in Seoul back in 2019' as I was considering taking an English Teaching Job through EPIC!! I stayed in a local area called Yeonnam and went on many exhibitions in Seoul!! The housing was Expensive according to a friend I talk to and a little bit of everything else 😮!! I personally feel the Low Birth Rate is driven by the fact that the cost of living versus one's lifestyle isn't Enough To Raise A Family!! Being a parent myself I know how expensive Kids can be and if you want to give your children a Good Life you gotta have the finances to Back That Up!! Or at least that's my thoughts on the matter!! Phenomenal 🔥 Video and Thanks for Sharing🧡🤍🎇🤍🧡
So interesting to hear the historical perspective! From an economic perspective, centralization also makes sense because you have many industries and universities all together, which tends to increase both efficiency and innovation. In my country we don't have a single metropolis, but urbanization means that life in rural areas is hard as well. I am looking for solutions to help the countryside self-sustain.
Thank you for discussing the topic!!
Thank you so much for watching!
Whether you think location is the main motivation for people to procreate or not, you have more to discover in life. In no way money, country, the capital of X country or anything else in materialistic terms could make a person decide, yes, I want to have children or I don't want to have children. what makes this generation childless is that they refuse to let their children suffer, something that previous generations didn't think about at all, they simply made their children regardless of how unhappy the times were, in chaos or wars. their parents remained indifferent and they simply made them. Nowadays we THINK and perhaps most importantly, we feel with our hearts and decide, because in reality, good people really don't need a PHD or a certain number of books read. They stop creating problems, they minimize them, they don't add to them. Many parents beat up their children and feel no regret even if the child is left crying in the room. one should have a heart to stop that sh1t, not superior studies, not positions in the society, not big titles. A HEART.
It's the selfish, empty, indifferent people who don't know what to do with their days and nights, who are still procreating. Those who choose not to have children are the most moral, at peace with their lives and less noisy people than anyone who has ever become a parent. There is nothing mysterious about having a biological child, it is primitive and simple. Anyone, anywhere, anytime can sleep with X and have one or more children. a mystery could be how to make the child live happily and stay alive!
But the birth rate in country regions of Korea are almost as low as birth rates in Seoul, only very marginally higher. Seoul desirability as the reason people aren't having kids can't be the whole picture here, otherwise country areas would show a much larger birth rate difference.
Good question! I would say the demographic distributions are different. The point I was making is that there is a huge influx of young people from the suburbs to Seoul, which causes the issue. On the other side of the coin, the outflux of younger people results in an increase in the average age in other areas. Look at Jeolla-do and Gyeongsang-do. Their average age is almost 50! This is the common diagnosis of demographers in Korea. But as you mentioned, this is not the whole picture and soon we will talk about other factors too.
@@imungjin I live in Gyeongsangnam-do. I'm told that we have one of the lowest birth rates in the country right here in a very country rice/onion growing region of Korea. All the beautiful picturesque small country towns are full of older people and the schools are shrinking, sadly.
@@fransmith3255You pretty much addressed your concern in your own comment.
@@buttarain27 Yes... These are indeed my own comments... 🤔
I hadn't considered this perspective. Just subscribed.
Thank you for your support :):)
Very interesting last point.
You’re right that the low birth rate points to a shared societal issue.
I personally am exploring the idea that it can be linked to traditional family structure and expectations. And how modern people do not wish to go into this role.
If we can “distribute the responsibility more”, I think having children would become far more attractive.
“It takes a village.”
This is by design..they are destroying the nuclear family or family unit..too many ppl esp girls are buying into the lie...that is why we see so many Sheng nu left over women who regret not having a family...got all these money, materialistic, phds and what not, but no husband or family and regretting their choice...there are only two choices family or career...you can't have both
This is a very informative video ...thanks for sharing the information...👍
The biggest issue with Korea's low birth rate in my opinion is completely different. High CoL, expensive housing markets, and overconcentration of resources in cities are problems in every OECD nation and is already reflected in their birth rate metrics. However, Korea's mandatory military service for men create a huge imbalance in the job market. Let's break it down. By the time men have gone to military, graduated, and found their first real job, they are just about entering their 30's. In any other OECD nation, men have about 4-8 years of real working experience by the time they enter their 30's, this isn't the case in Korea. In the past. they offset this with a point system for men entering the job market but it has since been abolished on grounds of discrimination against women. We're seeing a huge movement of women wanting gender equality while wanting to maintain certain old societal norms. Women are still looking for men with a house and car before they even consider marriage and a lot of Korean men in their 20's find this extremely hypocritical. Why? Because the average Korean is still renting a 1 room studio apartment when they are still in their 30's. It's also very common to see women break up with men who struggle to find jobs in the highly competitive labor market. This leads to gender conflicts and both sides not wanting to marry and have kids. There's deep rooted societal norms that are much bigger issues. Pushing for gender equality while wanting to maintain certain discriminatory societal norms from the past is one of the biggest issues that I don't see anyone talking about in regards to birth rate and marriage in general.
Grettings from Croatia. I like your content❤. Keep it up
The horror stories I hear from Korean women about how they’re treated in Korea is frightening. I don’t blame them.
And how Korean soldiers are treated is anpther big horror too. How can people blame somebody's husband and sons, boyfriends right?
Korean men were underpaid as soldier and there's some injustice towards them when it comes 무고죄
@@TypeFirstName but u don't release ur pain , stress and anger at home on your wife and children . the husband lashes out at his wife the wife abuses the children and children become bullies in school. that's how the abuse goes. that's why u don't make children if u have no decent means and if you re not sane and moral enough. because otherwise, you're just trash, you can't be called a parent, not even a human being. trash, that's what they are
I thought that with dramas like hometown cha cha and summer strike at least some people would change their mind and move to countryside. But your point is right. Trying to live in the bigger cities is an universal problem.
In Romania ,we have many facilities compared with other countries in europe (maternity leave till 2years ,child rearing allowance like 85% of woman salary) and somehow stop this accelerate birth declin. But is true that I see many colleagues who are single at 40s age not even thinking to have a child. I think they became too selective. Also the speed of life now is feeling diffrent... who knows what future bring for all of us.
People get more and more picky as they get older, that's normal for them..
@@askosefamerveknowing what you want after you make some a achievements is called being picky??
Then I should called the ones marry young that are stupid and careless!!
They don't have a career, stable income and strong personality and they start a family creating problematic kids that carries mental problems to their adulthood!!
@@askosefamerve Normal but ridiculous. Women cannot use wealth and success as bargaining chips for relationships. Youth and beauty was their natural bargaining chips and their most valuable, if they misspent that, at 40 asking for Prince charming is simply nuts.
감사합니다 very interesting talk thank you from New Zealand.
Thank you from the Republic of Korea :):)
Interesante explicación. Me gusta conocer sobre la cultura de otros países, Corea es uno al que quisiera visitar por su comida y tradiciones. Saludos desde un hermoso y pequeño país del norte de América del Sur, Ecuador, donde estamos orgullosos de nuestra riqueza cultural y natural, a pesar de los problemas en la seguridad; pero estoy segura de que la situación mejorará. Éxitos con tu canal :)
Muchas gracias. Estoy convencido de que todos los países tienen algo único que ofrecer, y espero que Corea te encante si decides visitarla. Aunque nunca he estado en Ecuador, tengo un amigo ecuatoriano :) y siempre he oído maravillas sobre la belleza de su país. ¡Aprecio mucho tus buenos deseos
Imagine a country where the exorbitant cost of raising a kid is exceeded only by the astronomical youth suicide rate wondering why the birth rate there is low...
And I say that out of love and compassion.
I've been following for years one Korean youtuber, a little girl. Due to her extreme beauty and charm she's been very successful. She's going to be in an upcoming public service ad for the birthrate problem. But despite all the success and money, the mother wasn't willing to have a second baby and allowed her IVF embryos to get tossed. So yes, this is 50 million people making decisions.
Love your approach in your research. I believe this thought process can be applied to other systems and outcomes here in the US beyond the birth rate.
Thank you so much!
The same overconcentration of resources I experienced in Russia and Britain (with Moscow metropolitan area and Grater London holding a huge proportion of population and resources). I've heard France with Paris is the same. Personally I find that this kind of overgrown cities is very difficult to have a family, in spite of many opportunities that they provide. People become more demanding about their partners and more distracted from having relationships by other temptations.
This is not only in S korea...it is global and by design...
Hi. So people move to Seoul which is very expensive so they can't afford things which lead to low birthrate. Has anyone has a data if the population doesn't decline in areas where the costs of living is low like Daegu or Busan or in general excluding Seoul? Thanks
It is higher but not so much. If I remember well out of Seoul it is 1.01 Children per woman.
*The beliefs and desires of one's heart shapes and reveals the reality of who you really are.* -Gail Adams
All is vanity and because of that this countries's international reputation suffers along with a revealed breakdown of intranational societal relationships due to their prejudices, disrespectful attitudes, and racial bias mindsets.
People in every society wrongly believe creating high class living and expensive environments denotes success. Especially the Korea society.
Keeping up with the Jones along with bias traditions on other cultures is killing there society.
If what many of these RUclipsrs are reporting about this country's vanity and narrow minded perception on beauty, skin color, bulling, male societal sexism views shaped by ingrained beliefs on women rights supported by male dominated government and law enforcement, so on and so forth it is not a surprise like Japan and other countries whose citizens has a Borg collective mentality is on a destructive downward spiral.
*You cannot change the mindset of others.*
However, bringing attention to negative mindsets helps those *who do not lie to themselves to fit in* make better informed choices when visiting or living there.
People have a more affordable life but the goal is always Seoul. If not for themselves but for their kids. The goal will be sending their kids to Seoul for school. Maybe before college. But yes the push should be more kids in other areas. This push to have people in Seoul have 2-3 kids is like the U.S. trying to have people in Manhattan to have 2-3 kids? There are several cities with hundreds of thousands of people. But there are videos all over RUclips about how even Busan does not have infrastructure and people go to Seoul for medical treatment. There was a couple and a child bringing their child from Ulsan to Seoul cause the hospital there would be not even put an IV in her. So bizarre. I hope there was a translation issue with that one. There was a report that New Sejong City actually had a birth rate just over 2. I think less outside work commitments required since so many left families in Seoul. Also it’s a new place so they could plan out the day cares. In rural areas schools have closed. You would send your kid to a school where they are the only pupil in their classroom? Or one of 25 for all grades?
@@kristinesharp6286 You wouldn't get education for your child because your neighbor doesn't have a child in school?
If there was a good teacher, i would. I would also teach them at home. If there is internet or only books, i would. I would borrow or trade. The world rarely works but knowledge is power. There are country people throughout the globe. Because there are few is no excuse to be ignorant. Teach your children to love to learn and it serves for life.
@@foggylegg6362 you are not following what I said. What I said was for people too far outside of Seoul the only local choice for education may be a school with only a few children in each grade. Or only 1 entering 1st grader. It’s happening all over South Korea and Japan. So even a couple living outside Seoul in certain neighborhoods of even Busan they would pressed to move and be concerned with real estates prices and job relocation because they would move cause their child is the only student if they stay. Where did I say anything about neighbors not sending to school? Almost no one home schools in Korea. But that neighborhood the kids grew up and no young families moved in. What they do in rural Korea is drop out and get a one room in Seoul and student for the entrance exam. They send their kids to public school but then they send their kid to a second school late at night to have Korean and English and Math classes all over again outside the regular school day. Cause everyone else is. In Korea everything is done cause everyone else it doing it. What the news needs to do pieces on is the family who has the third child, or the mom who works and the day care center and employer that makes it work. So people are hearing employers and day care centers make it work. That people have more than one. Now they are doing pieces on single living. Empty schools. So the collective sees the should be single and childless.
subscribed, thanks for sharing your insight ❤
Thank you so much for your support and for subscribing :):)
In conclusion, it's cost of living... If living in Seoul is not as high as it is today, things would be different...
That's so interesting, I never thought of it like that. Thanks for sharing and what's it going to take to not buy into that way of thinking and choose to live your life and create a living that's beyond the Joseon's old way of being? Thanks for the content and I look forward to seeing more about your perspectives and I hope you choose your own happiness!!
The monkey experiment is such a hilarious joke 😀 even stand up comedians will struggle to come up with such a funny joke
Lack of hope.
umm,you've got the cam(understandable)&closed captions wonky.
2nd line of dialog is 80%below bottom of screen. G,12August'24
Koreans study and work very hard and live with the heavy burdens of competition and judgment. People who are so energy and life depleted don't feel like they have enough energy to raise a child well. Personally, I would not my child (or chuld) to study all day, all night, all the time with lots of stress. I wonder if this factors into the decision for Koreans as well.
I feel like that's also why so many people are moving away to nations with less academic burden like USA
Would be great if you could compare this with North Korea and discuss the differences
Thank you for this video. Would you please address another ( related) issue? I wonder how people living in Seoul think about / feel about the proximity with north Corea and the danger/ risks it can imply. I was reading about Corean History and about the ( many times) north Corea invaded and raided Seul, and after that i've read about how the modern nuclear power could erase Seul if the north so decide ( but the south would be safer). It puzzles me that safety would not be a concern...
it is not fair to bring another soul into this place, as we use it. all we know is we had no choice in our presence here. life is ot a thing you do. life is a thing being done to you. you did not start it, and you can not stop it. whatever we did, it was not quite a success.
I think it's the economic condition.
With Busan an up and coming city, do you think it will ri al Seoul? It has to help to alleviate some of the expensive housing. Also, do you think that the government should or will put more income into other korea areas. Pohang, Daegu for example.
Is it because young people these days want more and having children makes it too hard
Birth rates are declining in higher GDP countries because the young no longer believe their efforts will reward them with enough to survive, so a family seems too expensive or unrealistic to have.
TLDR;
All living beings reproduce according to the perceived amount of available resources and will slow down reproduction when resources are perceived as being critically low.
With the increase in awareness due to social media, the growing dissappearance of the middle class and the increased amount of effort required to meet our most basic needs (shelter, food, safety, etc), people are instinctively choosing their best path to survival and are delaying having families.
Kids are a luxury now and social media has brought to greater light the socially reinforced power imbalance in traditional hetero relationship dynamics, which has instigated an aggressive gender divide amongst the age groups that normally start families. Since hetero relationships have traditionally also produced the most offspring, this divide is further reducing birth rates.
Between not knowing if success is actually obtainable through hard work anymore, hetero relationships needing more balance in power dynamics and gender expectations, the growing uncertainty about the economic, resource and political stability amongst high GDP countries, and the young now being disenchanted with the world they're growing up in, this sharp decline in birth rates was bound to happen.
I disagree. Why? Because we're seeing a global phenomenon. Japan has this issue. The Nordic states have this issue. Two regions that one wouldn't put in the same cultural basket. But somehow, the birthrates are dropping.
Housing costs. I'll lump that into living costs. And yeah, that's a huge impact. Children are expensive. However, even when subsidized, we're till seeing drops. For example, drops in US birthrate and we can claim it's medical costs. But then, we look at say Germany and they have a form of national healthcare and still...drop in birthrate.
The older generations will claim that it's because the younger generations are selfish. One. After WWII, the world had a baby boom. Our modern societies have never had that kind of boom and they have played a major part in shaping our world. Unfortunately, not everything they did is good and unfortunately, they are still around and demanding more of the pie at the expense of their children. I don't blame them. Each generation is somewhat interested in common issues that impact them in particular. But the outsized size of the baby boomers means that their voices are heard and their needs are addressed which means that other people don't get their needs fulfilled.
Then, we have women and this is a big one so I'm going to make another comment reply to elaborate.
The elephant in the room is women. Thankfully, most of the world has decided that women are people. Unfortunately, social norms and infrastructure haven't updated yet to the point where it's easy to be a woman. Men will whine about the draft or whatever but have you noticed that we never consider women getting pregnant as a form of biological drafting? Women die from pregnancy too. They feel the biological effects of pregnancy too. But they're supposed to suck it up and pretend the baby makes up for it.
Unfortunately, they are rarely given the time to make that recovery. Instead, they have to take care of the newborn, take care of the other kids, take care of the house, take care of their husband, take care of their parents, take care of their husband's parents, and go to work. Aren't you exhausted? Oh, and they aren't allowed to complain. After all, motherhood is sacred and all that other bs that society pushes because society doesn't want to acknowledge that it is exploitation.
Why should a woman give up her earning potential and her life all the time? What makes motherhood so special? How many of the concerned people would be willing to live that life? You see, I suspect that all those people who are so concerned about population birth rates are thinking "You must sacrifice for me and the greater good."
So what's the solution? I guarantee it isn't forcing past ideals and norms onto us. Instead, we need to remove the dead things from our living societies. The dead things include people who cling to the past and are a burden to the living. It's time to stop demanding that the marginalized sacrifice. Instead, we should be asking the kings and the queens and our elders and the powerful to sacrifice for us. Let the dead things die. The living, regardless of their age, always bring life. They aren't a burden. It's only the dead things that are a burden.
Have you made the comment?
@@imungjin I don't understand your question.
@@jenniferhunter4074 aha because you said you were going to make another comment, at the end of this comment
@@imungjin It didn't post? Let me re-read the comment and figure out what I wrote in that missing comment. I must have screwed up somehow.
Dynasty is NOT pronounced die- NASty. (It's not like unalive plus the word nasty.) It's DINE-is-tea. Like fine dining. His English is almost perfect, but this is a fairly common mistake.
Ohhhh thank you for letting me know!! Please let me know if there are other mistakes please 🙏🏻🙏🏻
Actually I have heard both pronunciations from native speakers of English. This is one of those words where the pronunciation differs by region, but both are acceptable.
ruclips.net/video/UIxwV-nBFUE/видео.htmlsi=sItkIMCiG_4m1-oU
@@imungjin Don't worry about it, your English is fine. English is flexible enough to cope with numerous pronunciations and regional variations. In the UK we generally wouldn't even pronounce it DINE (that tends to be the US variant) we'd say 'dinnesty,' lol!
Canada have low birth rates, gouvernement increased immigration, cost of living increased, birth rates decreased even more, gouvernement again increased immigration and now we are facing an increase of cost of living with the cost of rents and housing increases like never before…to many people were accepted in versus the capacity, we have lack of rents and housing and the pressure on healthcare services are to much to handle…if life where good probably the birth rate would increase by itself, for life to be good people need more free time to enjoy life, cost of living more affordable so people would have some money to be able to enjoy life and a peace of mind in being able to put some aside for old age, and hope and confidence will be back, hope and confidence that their children will have a good future…nobody want to make children just for them to struggle…to much greed and corruption of the higher up people lead us to where we are.
Besides, immigration policies, not only in Canada but everywhere, are too lenient about allowing even gang members to get in, based on "family reunion" or "humanitarian" issues. That is shifting once very good societies into places full of ghettos and "no go" zones. But I know my comment will be tagged as "hate" and deleted, so God bless you about your future...
Even if Canada stops all immigration tomorrow and deports all the gang members the price of living won't go down. Canadians flock to cities just like Koreans. Canada is HUGE, empty homes and affordable rent exist. Heck if you're feeling like a minority in your country there are places without any immigrants at all. But people don't want to live or work in those places. To most Canadians most of Canada is invisible. Homes are being built like crazy everywhere, but if it's in the city it's highly competitive and if it's not in the city it's not even considered.
@@seekittycat i understand what you are saying and agree, but also something has to be taken into consideration, why Canadians wants to live in big cities instead of country side….services…there’s little to none services …like healthcare, professional services, schools etc…I live one hour north of Montreal, 2 hours in trafic on pick hours, in a small town, most of the people living here don’t have a doctor and the clinic we have don’t take anymore patients they are full and even if you are assigned to one it’s a battle to have an appointment, and it’s not open after 5pm and no weekends to, and the public transportation is none existent, you have to have a car..companies don’t want to establish there so not enough jobs to…the rents are high considering what it is worth and low paying jobs…my husband and I decided to live here in 1994, because it was cheaper, but now 30 years later it’s not because many came because of that, our town increased in population, but not in services and the rent prices and houses are not far behind what you can find in Montreal….to many people increase demand and the offer didn’t fallow…same everywhere I guess
Europe and US began suffering from low birthrate long before Korea and Japan, they just keep getting more immigrants, I'm not saying that's a good idea but the birthrate problem exists in every advanced economies
Very true. It's a global issue, and I believe we eventually need a fundamental solution to it :)
In Australia highly educated migrants in government jobs and newly graduted government workers all have to spend a certain amount of time in rural area's before they can get positions in the cities.
We now have 500,000 people migration to Australia yearly all our capital cities are bursting and many rural towns are lacking housing as well. I think we'll see a bigger decline in birthrates here soon too.
I love living rural.
Also this city better than countryside thing seems to also have roots in Chinese culture possibly for a similar reason. I watch a lot of vertical C Drama and the characters are always despised for living in the countryside.
Let's be real people moving to Seoul isn't a learned behavior, it is a city.
And because it is a city it has more resources, more job opportunities,
More entertainment, more things to do, and convince.
Just like any other city and why most people move to cities.
So that still doesn't explain why the birth rate is dropping at all.
And from the news that is coming out of there I think we all know why
The birth rate is dropping.
Short of you living in a 11x9 apartment I don't really see how housing will be to small for a relationship? At the minimum
And with 2 people living on an income I don't really see why it would be hard to save up and get a bigger place to start a family.
I'm Japanese/Chinese American.
Every place else has it off better then us. Everyone else but us has some type of Universal Healthcare.
We don't, we get shit pay most other countries pay better and more. It's understandable why our birth rates is dropping we're to busy just keep our head above water. But somehow we still manage to start families.
No the real reason why the birth rate is dropping is more because there is more Incels that doesn't treat women very good.
And no woman would want to have a child with someone like that.
Sure are there good men out there
Yes but unfortunately they are hard to find. And not very easy to find, it's not like they have a sign saying "Mr Right" over their head.
It has nothing to do with Seoul
Or other places in Korea.
It is how people treat each other.
You may choose to deny it or learn from it and be a good person not just in words but in action to.
Often I have guys tell me how much of a "Nice guy" they are and cone to find out they are not.
But if you are truly a good person and treat people right and your girl right and have integrity.
Then you have nothing to worry about.
But let's not bullshit us and say it's people moving to Seoul.
Fact is people can change, people can fight back for a better life.
Most of the time it doesn't happen.
Because guys like the Patriarchy and think they benefit from it,
The guys that are actually good most likely doesn't want to change it because they don't want to make any waves, and women can't fight against it because everyone trys to shut them down.
It's actually quite simple to see why birth rate is so low in Korea. I'm surprised people don't mention that Korean men are barely entering the workforce as they enter their lates 20's and early 30's due to mandatory military service. This creates a highly unbalanced labor market in regards to both genders. In the past, Korean men received points for their military service that would help them with their job search. This has since been abolished on grounds of discrimination against women. The gender issue in Korea is complex. Women are becoming more and more independent and constantly shouting for equality while wanting to preserve old social norms such as men needing to have at least a car and an apartment for marriage. This is what Korean men in their 20's find hypocritical and leads to the gender conflicts we see today. This has led to both sides just not bothering with marriage or marrying in their mid to late 30's when they actually can afford an apartment.
@@amehayami934 the answer to the problem is in your first two sentences. Women simply want to integrate back into society and it is easy to do so (thus, the imbalance of childbirth in more populated cities). With constant pressure by the media pushing female beauty standards affecting their self-image and self-esteem, having multiple children is more of a setback than an investment; and if they don't like their husband, divorce is made an easy option.
I would also argue that society was more patriarchal with less equality for women in the past than it is now. If society endured loss and trauma in wars and occupation, men would be much more hostile and abusive towards their women and children. The disfunction in black-american families today is partly due to the tremendous abuse they've endured during slavery.
@@dshyon as far as getting married at all, it is a matter of options for women. Taking part as a single woman in a dynamic society outweighs the option of settling down and having children with a provider that might not be capable of doing so, or raising their station in life. It can be seen as a greater risk to their current situation. Women have the option to wait and seek better opportunities, simply put. Marriage is not necessary for their survival or success as it once was in the past and the media pushes this narrative.
How is Busan compared to Seoul? Birthrate, business, growing or shrinking, etc?
It's nickname is "old people and the sea". It has the highest amount of elderly people compared to young people. Everyone is moving to Seoul. Finding a good workplace with a high payment is hard, there are not many major companies there and the salary is lower
@@Lunicia Thanks. Then is Busan a 'retirement city' where elderly people move to? Or, are they the elderly that are left behind while the young are moving to Seoul?
@@OddDudeSays They are mostly the left behind!
I lived in Busan for 10 years. I wouldn't live there or Seoul. The only thing I disliked about Busan was the people. They are grumpy and hot headed. The drivers have no patience. Busan is like New York of Korea when it comes to people attitude. Grump old men curse a lot and get mad quick.
It sounds similar to the Baltic countries. I have been studying this issue on my own for quite while. would love to share few thoughts with you.
Thank you. Please share your thoughts!
@@imungjin I will text few things soon
are you saying living in the capital is more expensive than having family and people prioritise living in the capital?
I think
1) Job opportunities
2) Commuting time
are the reasons that drive the decision
The thing is Seoul has several apartments 32P and larger. They are occupied by single or couple elders. Those elders would not downsize. When those elders have to leave for redevelopment they will build 25P and smaller units. Eventually they will tear them down for more green space cause Seoul sees it success when apartments grow 40% in 5 years and failure when it drops .2% in a quarter. South Korea is a developed economy with an emerging economy mindset. The government of South Korea, enlisted media assistance as well said even one is too many for our crowded country. Policy and programming has been used to instill babies are expensive, unnecessary for happiness and a burden. The government of South Korea encouraged and allowed 12 hour work shifts. The courts permitted after school academies until all hours of the night. The generation of adults supposed to be having kids never had a family life or family time. The country where abortion was illegal had 300K of them a year. The country that shows ultrasound at every appointment legalized abortion. How bizarre? The country that exported children long after the fighting stopped. I do think it’s about hierarchy. You are stuck with you class for life. Reunions. Constant comparison. Why? Because when a student it didn’t matter if you got 85% on a test. That was not a B. That was a rank 4 of 9. Cause 23% of students scored higher. It is so stupid. So when they go to a wedding or a reunion and their classmate did not marry or have kids in a higher rank what right do they to? It is totally like the poor monkeys. And the constant the birth rate is failing on the news is presented in a way to keep it down. It’s reminding people that most people are not having babies. Telling the masses they would be doing what is expected by not having babies. They constantly talk of apartment prices in Gangnam. In the U.S. we don’t get almost daily reports on the price in Palo Alto. In the US people live in NY single, with roomates. When they have kids or many they move out of the city, even if they remain working for the city. Of course the U.S. has internet. People can work remotely. If only South Korea had internet a person could still work in Seoul and follow their spouse to New Sejong City. Or the entire family could move to Yongin or Daegu. LOL This having to finish college, finish mandatory military, buy outright a home before marriage has people not marry until fertility is unlikely. This was the plan encouraging college all those years ago. You wont have 6 if you start having kids at 26 after college and after earning the money to set up the house. You might only have 2-3 kids. Delaying childbirth for many of the more fertile years. In the U.S. college students can marry and start families. In the U.S. a parent can go to college and get a job after no matter the school attended for most jobs. In Korea the only reason English is a subject in the Korean entrance exam for college is to further qualify some people over others. Causing families to spend more of their private education. But really the purpose was so some people would leave the country. And students left. And they often stayed away for work as well. The just have 2 kids should have stopped in the 80’s. The mindset behind policies mostly taking place during the time of dictatorship are still in place country. The cold water is gone but aversion remained. It’s why people with an extra room for a closet, 12 pairs of shoes, nonseasonal food year round, no fees for school through high school think they are too poor for marriage or kids. That the economy is terrible. People have the mindset back from when they could not send all their kids to middle school or high school with the fees, that they didn’t get chosen for the housing lottery, that rice was scarce and bananas not widely in shops costing a lot, where people didn’t always have shoes as today. Why must Koreans have a years worth of Kimchi in the house at all times? It was not available year round and the memory of hunger.
Insightful. The conditioning of people's minds. Independent thinking is a struggle because of the environment one places oneself in.
I like your view, but i think it has more to do with the misogyny and treatment of females in the society. The fact that youre ignoring that is the problem.
What ur saying is everyone is so much in competition with each other trying to climb that materialistic social ladder which is in the capital city, 0:15 which is Seoul. Which because of everyone wanting to live there have increased prices on real estate. And because people now in order to maintain the life style.they have to exclude having children because they are not willing to move to another part of the country and make that sacrifice. That my conclusion.correct me if I’m wrong.
Yes! Although it's a really complex situation, your conclusion aligns with what other Korean demographers say. Thank you for your comment!
What should I talk about next? :)
Pick a goal and talk about if you achieved the goal you picked, what the journey is like towards your goal, what thoughts you had while going about achieving your goal, what obstacles and distractions present themselves to you while you were on the path towards your goal and obstacles and distractions that are distant and will or already slow and hinder you from your goal and your responses to the obstacles and distractions. For example, my goal is to eat good food. Everything I interact with is only so I can eat good food and at all times I am not eating good food I am dealing with an obstacle or distraction or obstacles and distractions. I live in the U.S.A.
Subtitles are too high and cover mouth (
Same in Thailand I guess. Bangkok is like another country. It is the only place that well developed and extremely dense in population. Unlike Korea, there are more well developed satellite cities near Seoul with better air and infrastructures.
I absolutely agree. There is a large influx of Thai people from other areas moving into Bangkok!
What the government is doing for people in your country centralisation of development is big problem to you decentralisation is very important for every country we don't hear any news about your country except kpop,and kdramas people also will change to solve your problems
very great points my friend,statitics need to go with other humane characteristics to figure things out in bigger point of view,sadly many big cities are looking at Korea particularly Seoul or any place with such vapidly developed economy and tryna take that bliding light back to their countries, in order word we need to stop destroying ourselves as a human race. Take care and i hope you have a great life!
I'm going to comment on your low birth rate video here as the number of comments there are too many and I don't know if you'll see it.
The first thing I will say is Korea and the Korean people are awesome. They have all the positive aspects anybody in a democratic society could ask for. Tending to be self starting, self motivated and strive for success. I'm not saying other peoples don't do that, but Koreans do that very well.
You're probably correct in not saying what you're actually thinking, that is Koreans get it wrong that moving to Seoul to be in the center of the population is a need to be successful, it's not. I'd actually argue that sometimes success is measured by some of the very wrong things, like money, fame, or notoriety. Very generally speaking, young people dream of these things but find out very soon some of those may be unrealistic, so they chase the easy one of the 3, money. Money is not the end all to happiness, self fulfillment is much more satisfying. Don't take that the wrong way, money makes the world go around and you do not want to ever be worried about "making ends meet", which is very different from cash flow, but that's another discussion. You're on the correct path in that self fulfillment, or doing things that make you happy and fulfilled are much more enjoyable. Personal drive and ability to "see more" is a very difficult thing to come to terms with, but there is more available or fulfilling things than fame and notoriety. Being driven by other people, being forced to study as a child by your parents with the windows blackened is not positive (you know what I mean). What's inside you that makes you happy and drive you it.
I'm guessing you're in Madison and I am originally from Wis. I watched several of your other videos, Trump vs Harris rally, and from my perspective your ideas were very correct from my perspective. Watching them I noticed you concluded that the Trump rally was "down to earth" people that were just trying to make a living and be themselves. Harris rally was more about the "sophisticated" trying to be there. I could be wrong, but that's kind of what I got from them. I also picked up that the people you associated with told you some very bad info ont the Trump supporters, and that's disappointing to me. People are not generally evil or awful based on politics, it's just not like that. What they are is a product of environment and experience, so that's where their perspective comes from. I'm not trying to be negative about either, but as an older man from that area, I do understand those people very well. Who they are, where they came from and their perspectives. The more rural population is where I come from and while there are some "rednecks" among them, they are intelligent enough to listen and understand.
I could continue with this, but I've probably bored you enough already. Good luck, and hopefully the idiot rednecks don't scare you off, most of those clowns aren't nearly as bad as they like seem or think they are. Just remember you're in a bit of a bubble in school there, you have good kids that worked their butt of to be there, the legacy and wealthy whose parents pay and have paid to be there and you, the foreign students that the good kids compete with and the legacy kids look down on. You're not alone so just do your best.
Interesting ! A korean explaining the reality of Korea with a perfect english. 너무 고마워요.
Thank you so much! Do you have any other topics you're interested in? I'd love to cover that too :)
Ur anti centralization civilization perspective is the opposite direction from the uniqueness of korea situation
The top of the tree from above look same
But the root is diverse
Though in general i dont see centralization n traditional culture is problem other than proper management
Or that the general core of every problem
The bigger the system the more complex it bcome the more precise management it need
Precision require deep perception
Too busy making ends meet to have unprotected sex with the opposite gender.
What is the adoption rate?
What is the abortion rate?
Korea adoptee here.
Domestic adoption still isn’t widely done.
International adoption has had a lot of changes in recent years. The restrictions of international adoption have resulted in fewer adoptions and more children staying in orphanages, and even growing up in them.
@@deekang6244 International adoption is a difficult topic. I feel that kids shouldn't have to grow up in an orphanage , but I also find it sad that many International adoptees lose the connection with their culture. I'd love to know your thoughts on that as an adoptee.
Hey, you make a very good point. What strikes me right away when I see your thumbnail picture is that you can look a lot better with a different frame for glasses and possibly hair style. The current glasses is magnifying the smallness of your eyes.
Thank you so much for your comment :) I started to make my own thumbnails after reading your comment :) Any other advice you'd like to share?
@@imungjin why would you even entertain such a shallow judgement as this person made?
Failing society
We need protection of all humans life from moment of conception.
Sorry, I don't think I agree much with David Benatar
Developed country leading to feminism. That's always why.
Or men still craving mediaeval values who can't come to terms with reality
Leading to politically correct feminism. Women in Korea face dangers like any other women would, but the problem is that the law doesn't protect them. I've NEVER seen a rapist or a domestic abuser get their proper sentences in Korea. Korean feminists only seem to focus on tedious and stupid aspects of feminism such as attempting to police language instead of the actual problems.
I think it also has to do with younger generations being more selfish, with a “it’s all about me” attitude. Plus more singles unable or unwilling to commit to a long term relationship for child rearing.