[사설] First shocking population decline… We need to rewrite measures for low birthrate

It is shocking to hear that the resident registration population has decreased for the first time in history as of the end of last year. There was a concern about’the disappearance of the rural villages’ in some provinces, and this is the version that the’theory of the extinction of Korea’ will be raised. As such, the government should take it seriously and urgently prepare a comprehensive countermeasure.

According to demographic statistics released by the Ministry of Public Administration and Security yesterday, as of December 31, last year, the number of residents registered in Korea (51829,000) decreased by 2838 people (0.04%) from the end of 2019. The growth rate of the resident registration population, which was 1.49% in 2010, has slowed down since then, and turned to negative for the first time last year.

The decline in the resident registration population was due to the increase in the number of deaths than the number of births for the first time last year. In other words, a’dead cross’ occurred in which the population naturally decreased. Last year, the number of births (27,5815) collapsed for the first time. It decreased by a whopping 10.65% (32,822) from 2019.

Lee Sam-sik, head of Hanyang University’s Senior Research Institute, diagnosed that “Japan was the first country to experience a natural decline in the population during the peace period without war, and unfortunately, Korea succeeded.”

There is a limit to lowering the mortality rate, so in order to reduce the natural decline of the population, eventually raising the fertility rate is the only solution. However, despite pouring 185 trillion won so far, the fertility rate in 2019 is 0.92, remaining at the lowest level of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). At the end of last year, the government decided to pay up to 6 million won in parental leave benefits to couples if a couple with an infant under 12 months leave for three months, but it is unclear whether it will be effective.

In the future, we need to fundamentally change the social environment and structure that lowers the motivation for marriage and childbirth, such as insufficient parenting conditions and housing insecurity. As seen in the’Sayuri Phenomenon,’ it is also necessary to change the prospective perception of unmarried birth and new family types. It is necessary to accept multicultural families with a more open mind.

The rapid increase in single-person households in this survey is not a problem to take lightly. At the end of last year, the number of single-person households (906,3362 households) increased by 6.77% from 2019, exceeding 9 million households for the first time in history. The share of all households was also the highest at 39.2%.

In single-person households, young men and women and elderly women account for a large proportion. In particular, the ratio of elderly households in Korea, an aging society, is about twice that of Japan, a super-aged society, which is a big problem. As such, the risk of loneliness is high, and measures against welfare blind spots are urgent.

If the population decreases, the economic vitality and potential growth rate will fall, and the warning that national luck will also be inclined must be taken painfully. Past governments’ measures for low birthrate and aging have been ineffective as they have only been thrown into finances. Government measures should be thoroughly reviewed to improve the quality of life.