By Yoon Ja-young
It is not breaking news that Korea's birthrate is falling. The country broke its previous record again, with the recently released 2021 birthrate standing at 0.81. It is known that the birthrate should be at least 2.1 to maintain the current population, but now less than one baby is born on average per woman.
I think the low birthrate is the result of people adapting to society, a natural thing, but a too steeply falling birthrate will incur new social problems. The government is thus trying to pull it up, if at all possible.
The city of Sejong made headlines again for its high birthrate. It was 1.28 last year ― which is still far lower than the 2.1 needed for maintaining population, but much higher than the birthrates of other cities. It is twice as high as Seoul's 0.63.
So what are the differences between the two cities?
A widely known fact is that Sejong, an administrative town that possesses the government complex, has a high ratio of public servants among its residents. They are relatively free to take childcare leave. I have seen cases of some neighbors with government jobs taking childcare leave for many years by adding up the leave time accrued for their kids as well as other special leaves granted for attending graduate school or for those who should accompany their spouses sent to work abroad.
In the private sector, meanwhile, an employee will witness disadvantages when they come back to work from years of leave, if it is granted at all. Government workers have stable jobs, although they may be dissatisfied with relatively lower salaries compared to conglomerate workers, so they can plan ahead and choose to have kids.
Another difference is housing prices. Even though prices have soared from the initial sales prices, apartment prices in Sejong are far cheaper than in the Seoul metropolitan area. As new apartments are continuously supplied, prices of "jeonse," or a rental system in which the tenants pay a lump-sum deposit and get the full deposit back at the expiration of the lease, have been stable for many years.
With a 200 million won lump-sum deposit, newlywed couples could live in newly built three-room apartment units for years without having to worry about the burden of high housing costs. They contrast with some young couples I have known in Seoul, who have been delaying marriage and having children until they can get enough savings to rent an apartment or pay off their mortgage ― which have become virtually impossible with skyrocketing housing prices in Seoul.
One of my friends who recently moved back to Seoul due to work complained that it is not as safe for her daughter to travel to and from school compared to Sejong. The new city was designed to minimize kids having to cross roads on their way to school, and the businesses deemed harmful to students, such as bars are not allowed in the proximity of schools. Meanwhile, in Seoul, her daughter has to walk with cars in narrow alleys where there are bars, motels and more on her way to school.
I am not saying that Sejong is a perfect place. The city still lacks social infrastructure and it doesn't have the vibrant energy of Seoul. Young government officials say this place is "boring" and they would switch to a job in Seoul if given the chance. As kids grow up, parents in Sejong start considering other factors such as the quality of private education ― and some parents do leave and move to bigger cities in search of good private academies. However, even those deserting the administrative city agree that it is a good place to raise kids.
We can't change everything. We can't make all people work for the government, or infinitely supply new apartments in Seoul to pull down housing prices. But we can start by trying to alleviate the worries and burdens of some parents. Some local governments in Seoul, for example, are operating "walking school buses," where a guide hired by the local government accompanies a small group of kids as they walk to school so they can get there safely.
Many parents want to send their kids to "English kindergartens," which are private academies that hire native speakers from English-speaking countries. However, classes cost over $1,000 a month in fees. Why doesn't the government hire more English teachers in government-run kindergartens to lessen the burden on parents?
If working moms have to quit their job as they can't afford nannies, why not allow them to hire foreign nannies? The government has been spending 380 trillion won since 2006 to pull up the birthrate, but it just continues to fall. It needs to take a new approach.
The writer (yjy@koreatimes.co.kr) is finance editor at The Korea Times.
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I think the low birthrate is the result of people adapting to society, a natural thing, but a too steeply falling birthrate will incur new social problems. The government is thus trying to pull it up, if at all possible.
The city of Sejong made headlines again for its high birthrate. It was 1.28 last year ― which is still far lower than the 2.1 needed for maintaining population, but much higher than the birthrates of other cities. It is twice as high as Seoul's 0.63.
So what are the differences between the two cities?
A widely known fact is that Sejong, an administrative town that possesses the government complex, has a high ratio of public servants among its residents. They are relatively free to take childcare leave. I have seen cases of some neighbors with government jobs taking childcare leave for many years by adding up the leave time accrued for their kids as well as other special leaves granted for attending graduate school or for those who should accompany their spouses sent to work abroad.
In the private sector, meanwhile, an employee will witness disadvantages when they come back to work from years of leave, if it is granted at all. Government workers have stable jobs, although they may be dissatisfied with relatively lower salaries compared to conglomerate workers, so they can plan ahead and choose to have kids.
Another difference is housing prices. Even though prices have soared from the initial sales prices, apartment prices in Sejong are far cheaper than in the Seoul metropolitan area. As new apartments are continuously supplied, prices of "jeonse," or a rental system in which the tenants pay a lump-sum deposit and get the full deposit back at the expiration of the lease, have been stable for many years.
With a 200 million won lump-sum deposit, newlywed couples could live in newly built three-room apartment units for years without having to worry about the burden of high housing costs. They contrast with some young couples I have known in Seoul, who have been delaying marriage and having children until they can get enough savings to rent an apartment or pay off their mortgage ― which have become virtually impossible with skyrocketing housing prices in Seoul.
One of my friends who recently moved back to Seoul due to work complained that it is not as safe for her daughter to travel to and from school compared to Sejong. The new city was designed to minimize kids having to cross roads on their way to school, and the businesses deemed harmful to students, such as bars are not allowed in the proximity of schools. Meanwhile, in Seoul, her daughter has to walk with cars in narrow alleys where there are bars, motels and more on her way to school.
I am not saying that Sejong is a perfect place. The city still lacks social infrastructure and it doesn't have the vibrant energy of Seoul. Young government officials say this place is "boring" and they would switch to a job in Seoul if given the chance. As kids grow up, parents in Sejong start considering other factors such as the quality of private education ― and some parents do leave and move to bigger cities in search of good private academies. However, even those deserting the administrative city agree that it is a good place to raise kids.
We can't change everything. We can't make all people work for the government, or infinitely supply new apartments in Seoul to pull down housing prices. But we can start by trying to alleviate the worries and burdens of some parents. Some local governments in Seoul, for example, are operating "walking school buses," where a guide hired by the local government accompanies a small group of kids as they walk to school so they can get there safely.
Many parents want to send their kids to "English kindergartens," which are private academies that hire native speakers from English-speaking countries. However, classes cost over $1,000 a month in fees. Why doesn't the government hire more English teachers in government-run kindergartens to lessen the burden on parents?
If working moms have to quit their job as they can't afford nannies, why not allow them to hire foreign nannies? The government has been spending 380 trillion won since 2006 to pull up the birthrate, but it just continues to fall. It needs to take a new approach.
The writer (yjy@koreatimes.co.kr) is finance editor at The Korea Times.
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