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You buried the real story, David. Pretty much the same issues for youth in many places. You need to welcome immigrants so there is no need to pressure young women to reproduce with a manchild who cannot deal with that responsibility. Women’s and other genders’ quest for social and economic equality is hardly a “gender conflict”. Try accepting single parents and gays having kids and you might see more reproduction, if that is a must. Honestly, it seems there is only one way to be an adult in Korean society, and the burden falls on the women, who are supposed to enact medieval family roles while pulling down an executive salary in a workplace that doesn’t accept marriage or pregnancy as a reality of adult life. Your government is really sleeping on the country’s most valuable Human Resources. Economic growth is only one aspect of nation-building. A strong society places high value on all of its members and strives to help them reach self-actualization.
Cash doesn’t work. The govt needs to work with companies to move out of Seoul. Free education for couples who have more than 2 children. Unification would also help.
@@alisonfraser8231 Gay or single parents will not affect their birth rate. That makes no sense and is statistically invalid. Polls also show that almost all young Koreans, the ones who are relevant to fertility rates, agree that housework is evenly shared. Their fertility rate where men and women in older generations responded with more defined gender roles are actually the ones with the higher fertility rate. Korea also seems to have introduced every policy you can imagine (parental leave policies, affirmative action policies for women, period day, women education funding) to the point where young Korean women are earning more degrees than young Korean men, and actually, more degrees than men or women anywhere in the world. And are trending towards out earning young men which is a terrible dynamic. Studies (in the US) show that women, even when making a lot of money, still want spouses who make even more than they do. This is hypergamous behavior that is not found in men. A dynamic where young women are out earning young men (the fertile ages) thus would be terrible to encourage marriage and ultimately family.
After reading those serious comments above and then.... scrolled down to yours 😂 . It's like a funny commercial break of an intense documentary series.
I think if you want to raise birth rates you ultimately have to improve worker rights in Korea, meaning more vacation time, less required working hours, etc. It requires a change in the society's mindset which you can only get through proper policies like these, so that people have more time and don't feel like they need to hussle constantly and compete with everyone.
this + increase pay or lower the cost of living somehow. So many people still live with their parents even when working or in school because the cost of living in Seoul is just too much
Working rights need to improve but also Salaries and working hours as well, an average Korean will work 12 hour days and still bearly make ends meet that’s a massive problem, more affordable housing as well
Well David all I can say is you sure know how to cut to the quick. if this isn’t the most honest representation of your generation in the Korean society right now, I don’t know what it is. My heart goes out to the whole lot of you. It doesn’t seem like hard work is going to pay off anytime soon for your generation in Korea. but, we can always hope can’t we? 😢
Ironic since people today have more comforts & conveniences compared to people 50 years ago. It's like people traded freedom & the simple life just to be enslaved by technology, modern lifestyle and debt.
Life in the past was tougher, I was born without electricity, no tv, and no car but four siblings, I have 2 sons but my kids don't want to have any, and that's OK it's their choice, We are too many people anyway.
@@Pray4Cilleythat’s not true lol. Feminism is mainly prominent in the west. In the rest of the world they’re still having issues with the child birth rate, like in Korea. Feminism isnt popular in Korea yet they still have this issue. Mainly because raising a family these days is extremely expensive and their work hours are far too excessive. In the west there are plenty of people who want kids but simply are not financially stable enough to do so. They could still have kids but it would be a big struggle. Like myself, I want kids but I barely have enough money to look after myself.
I don't blame Koreans for not wanting to get married or have kids due to many of the factors you mentioned. Also, as a woman, I can't imagine having to put my husband's family before my own.
After hearing that, I think the Korean government should REALLY focus on developing the other cities and also the more rural areas in Korea, so that people actually want to live there. That everyone wants to live in Seoul seems to be a main reason for a lot of the issues mentioned, especially housing prices.
Exactly and it is not good to concentrate everything into Seoul or any one city. That is how North Korea is as everything is focused into the capital Pyongyang.
You put it in words. I’ve been trying to explain that about Accra in Ghana. I also joke that if there’s a natural disaster here, we will lose SO much or basically everything because of how much the government keeps cramming here with no second thought about other cities.
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That's actually valid for most developed countries in the world. Not only South Korea :)
The Korean government should focus more on developing the provinces and other rural areas. Most of the younger Korean generation just want to live in Seoul. The many rural areas here in Korea are almost empty! They should develop and invest more outside of Seoul to encourage people to live there. Housing prices here in Seoul are crazy but in other parts of Korea, you can buy a decent apartment if you want to.
if they develop provinces and rural areas ,koreans had to beg food from other countries. rural must rural ever, not city learn that first. rural areas are used for farming and cultivate food from nature, if you destroy nature for your developments and infrastructure ,you had to import food from foreign countries which results in fall down of your economy .economically stronger countries are african subcontinents ,i never heard african countries have economically backward or have economic crisis ,because they have good amounts of nature ,which they can cultivate food instead of importing or relying on outside countries. korea is a small country so developing rural provinces doesnt help and instead makes it worst . because same problems we are facing in india, we are importing food now, we lack lands and cultivation ,many food trees like tamrind eucalyptus in india are now extinct .so india is small just like korea.
@@deepthinker1710 l am with you, and l have travelled South Korea. Just another point: It is not so much to build in SKorea more apartment blocks, l noticed that in the rural areas, which is the most part of South Korea, there are living mostly elderly, who attended to farming, and animals. All the young people strive living in the 5 Cities in this small peninsula, and seek a carrier in Seoul. So, the land is neglected. They need farmers, producers of veggies, fruits, and other foods. The population in the countryside is old, without a young generation for agriculture.
@@judykraska400 these also happens on most countries. the country side are becoming less populated since most new generations are going to main cities and don't want to work on fields, farming and animals..
My buddy who teaches English in Korea says the current generation of working koreans have no means of starting a family. The previous generations set up a system for the current generation to fail. It's just not possible for Korea to survive this without a massive cultural shift.
Exactly and they need to do something about it before their population drops to the point of no return and their society will collapse. Japan is suffering that too. They need to do something before it is too late.
@@IZooNaaaRzt’s the fault of men from the old generation. Women are not at fault for not wanting to birth kids they or the child’s father can’t care for or feed.
I'm American, and read this week someone young BRAGGING that people her age will not buy houses, like baby boomers, it's better to rent. AND, she went on... if they aren't doing well they move back in with their parents,. Yeah, in the houses their parents bought, But maybe if there's only one child, or two, the house can remain to be inherited later. Maybe.
As a single person in early 30s, this is so on point. I'm not Korean, but living life in today's economy is difficult enough, bringing a child into the equation will be like hell.
Seen people my age during social gathering keep remind me how much a bare minimum a family cost both economically and mentally For people who brave enough to do it despite how slim their resource is really need to be appreciate
Korea had made great progress in technology, economic, finance in the last few decades. But socially, in my opinion, Korea is still a super traditional and conservative society. I think that should be one of the 1st problem to be tackled. How do you increase birth rates when having a child mean career suicide for a woman ?
To be fair a lot of women and even men are willing to be house wife/husbands lol. Me included and I'm 36. I wasn't always like this tho but if my wife can afford to take care of us financially we could. But we live in a major city in America so it's almost impossible.
the issue is the financial burden of having a child. In South Korea that price is quite expensive especially considering their school fees. Add on to that increasingly expensive rent rates for small homes. families often don't have the luxury to afford a child, let alone on a one person's income.
How do you increase birth rates when women are told they should prioritize careers over family? It's a trick question, you don't. Birth rates declined in the most progressive countries you can think of, so Korea being conservative is not the problem. It's just more pronounced in some countries when combined with the economic issues.
Just want to share my opinion. I dont think the problem is the fact that Korea is a conservative country. I think its the cost of living just like in the US. I feel that based on what he said about how much you have to have to save up for a home its more extreme then America but, i personally love that Korea is a conserative country. God knows i dont want another country like the US. However I do see how being a super conserative Country can put a dent in the Country's progession as a whole. I feel like if Korea losen up just enough and spread that jelly all over the bread instead of consentrated in one spot they will be ok. I just think if they keep to some of the traditions and values that got them to where they are as a country today. They can surely bring back up the birth rate.
The birth rate of 'all' countries, including Korea, is decreasing. However, compared to other countries, Korea's birth rate is dropping more rapidly and severely. The 'Korean problem' causing this is clear. Foreigners who have not lived in Korea may not fully understand how competitive and comparison-oriented Korean culture is, simply by listening to stories on TH-cam. Korea compares and competes with each other more than any other country's people, beyond what you think and imagine. Because of this, when it comes to getting married, one must have a certain profession, receive a certain salary, possess certain looks and figure, scrutinize the marital family's property, live in a certain area, and reside in a luxurious apartment. Additionally, when giving birth to a child, the child must receive certain social education and attend specific academies, all surrounded by unimaginable standards and norms. Korean culture involves evaluating each other's worth based on specific standards, and dividing themselves into hierarchies accordingly while constantly observing each other. As a foreigner, you may not fully understand how powerful this culture is unless you have lived in Korea. Even if you have lived in Korea as a foreigner, you cannot fully comprehend it unless you marry a Korean. Even if you marry a Korean, if you have not attended elementary, middle, high school, and university in Korea, you cannot understand it. I believe that this Korean situation can be named as a "zero-sum game of comparison culture," and I am convinced that Korea will perish because of it.
This is exactly what every middle class Indian experiences. It's as prevalent here in India as it's in SK, only difference is that it has become a way of life for us and not challenged the way South Koreans are beginning to do. With our huge population, it's survival of the fittest out here. The competition extends to workplace as well - if you don't do it, somebody else will be there to take your place.
I agree with you. I don’t fall into many of the categories of people who would understand it, but I still do because of how much I studied Korean culture and my friends and family there. It’s pretty intense and insane in many aspects. The birth rate is declining everywhere because of how expensive it is to raise a child, also the environment and bleak future of the planet. Add on to that Korea extremely competitive culture and yeah it makes sense. Not sure how they are going to solve the issue because Eve the idea of change on that kind of scale is something that many Korean don’t believe in, but I wish them the best.
Korea is so competitive because lack of natural resources and because there's not enough jobs for everyone, so the job market is severely competitive and that's where the pickiness comes from. Once the population subsides a little and there will be lesser job competition, you'll see the nation relax more. Compare USA job culture to other western countries. It's cutthroat in America and the hours are long and fast paced. In the rest of the west the work-home balance is much better and the employees have better mental health.
@@implodingstar1649Not really! Here we can survive well with low level education as well. There is no survival of the fittest here, everyone has a specific place, job and many started promoting local businesses as well. All your comments are right about India if someone is aiming for an upper middle-class or luxurious lifestyle, but for a middle class we have proper schools, food and other amenities. We don't care about looks while hiring someone for a job, skills matter here. Only people who are under the poverty line is leading a tough life, but it is also slowly fading away
As a Canadian we rely on immigration to keep our population from dying. With a multi cultural society it also helps break down the one main culture into a more flexible one. It would help change beauty standards, family standards, education standards. But the korean government would have to be welcoming and accommodating to it. People don’t want to move somewhere where they are forced to fit into the korean mold or experience racism. Or yeah like you said they could fix all that other stuff you listed. Immigration is more of a band aid than fixing the real problems.
legal immigration. Illegal immigration is just cancer. Look at england. Its full of illegal immigrants given asylum and becasue of this the legal skilled immigrants who happen to be brown also face a shit ton of racism.The US and Australia on the other hand promote legal immigration while lowering illegal immigration. Thats why most immigrants in these countries rise to the top
Umm yeah the work policies for international community is absolutely terrible in Korea where it pays less amount for the work they do, than the normal koreans earn and that’s one of the reasons foreigners don’t prefer working there
If foreigners integrate into a society then they will face the same issues the natives are facing, so all you end up doing is postponing the population decline. Besides Immigration brings a lot of problems with it as well. For example there will be an explosion in crime, a disintigration of societal cohesion leading to a hyper individualistic society and the disintegration of the host countries unique culture(as seen in western Europe). It only somewhat works in nations like the US and Canada because you have no history, culture or social cohesion to speak of.
I am right now in South Korea visiting and I also read a couple of books on the women condition in South Korea and I feel like you pretty much summarize so well the problem. I could talk a lot about the subject but I will note 2 things. 1. I travelled to Seoul, Busan and Gyeongju and I have to say that I liked Seoul the least. But even so, I kept getting the feeling that the other cities were a bit deserted. Maybe if the government would give incentives to companies who establish in other areas, they would be motivated to expand their business. 2. About the women having to leave their job, better policies should be created. I am from Romania (a much less developed country) and we have an excellent social policy regarding child care. As a woman you get almost full paid child leave for up to 2 years and your employer may not fire you unless a structuring happens in the company. I am sure such policies would help
Romania is another dying country. Nobody wants to know the solution and the problem because the problem is women in the workforce. No amount of paid daycare and paid leave will change the fact that generations of women have been told that motherhood is bad, that career is the most and the only important thing and that they are missing out on life and career if they choose to have kids. So even the ones who do have kids only have 1, maybe 2. In fact, the more women that are in the college system and the more social programs, the faster the birthrate drops. Its even worse, because you have created a system based on women being in the workforce, but then tell them they need to leave the workforce for 2 years and you will take money from strangers to pay for it so the company now is short workers. All of this instead of just promoting the nuclear family with the mother being focused on family over career so the father takes care of the family instead of every man doing it. Your social system also encourages the break up of the family unit and a false belief that you dont need men since the government says it will take care of you now. This madness is killing countries and nobody wants to admit it because it means going back to our biological nature as we evolved and it means restrictions and sacrifices for women, and you sure wont accept that anymore. Better for women to be sluts, party, and crash and burn as the majority of women in first world countries today are on anti depressants and or diagnosed with a mental disorder and it will only get worse and spread to more countries as this break up of the nuclear role based family is pushed by the elite.
@@waltermh111 bro you can always move to more TRADITIONAL countries like Chad, Somalia, Mali, Angola etc. But I don't think that you wanna live in this shitholes, am I right?
Sorry for giving my 2 cents. I thing it is better to understand how people might thing about parenthood with these points: - to start a family you need a partner, one that is willing to communicate, understand you and work together with you in order to have that family. -have a house, a place with enough space, utilities and comfort to start a family -that requires money. A lot. -for that you need to have a good job. Not everyone can get that. Many women at work are paid less and have more troubles in the working space (sexism, harassment, are being gaslit, ridiculed and so on.) -not everyone wants a kid. A kid is a huge responsability financially and emotionally. It is a long term commitment. -if you don't have a way to ensure a safe space, have a financial plan to raise a child, have a supporting partner that also wants a child then maybe you should not have a child yet. Many of us women want stability first. Both in work space and romantic relationships. So maybe don't go around thinking that women who don't want to be mothers are just sluts and party. We are more than birthing machines. Just saying. We are more than allowed to go out, have a social life, have a job and a life outside the job, have a family and an identity outside of the family. If i am in a relationship doesn't mean everything about me revolves around the fact that i am in the said relationships. To each their own. Everyone is responsable of their own actions, their own plans. But don't assume everyone is the same :)
Motherhood is scary. A bunch of stuff can go wrong during pregnancy and the birthing process. Search some medical possible complications and see for yourself :) If you were a woman, wouldn't you be scared as well?
@@cupcake_maker yes, totally agree with you. It is sad to still see a lot of men deciding what women should be and what women should do like it’s no big deal because entire generations of women lived like this and men say it was better like that.
I think it’s a generational thing. Millennials don’t feel secure in life financially. The social method of dating is too electronic and a little vain. Me personally is more old fashioned. I like face to face interactions over texting but I’m also socially awkward so I don’t know how that’s gonna work. We are on the brink of economic collapse and potentially WW3. I don’t want a kid in this.
Japan has actually been able to make small improvements in their birthrate. I think one recent policy was to offer couples a free house if they had a second child or something like that. I think they were encouraging people to move away from overcrowded Tokyo, because the cost of housing and the size of the homes available has a direct impact on birthrates.
Korea can only do that if the government stipulates growth of other cities like Busan, Deagu and even a few more. That is how young ppl can be made to stay outside Seoul or flee the area if they are indeed Seoul based. Free housing cannot be a reality in the larger Seoul area. Businesses need to move out. The government offices need to move out. The lionized Korean entertainment industry need to move out.
@@alantes Why would the entertainment industry local matter? Just lower taxes and the cost of living for families. Give them no-interest loans to buy a house or if they have enough kids, give them a home for free. Also, penalize divorce. Don't make it profitable for people to break up a family as we have done in the USA.
@@keithhoward4069 the entertainment industry and celebs make seoul look extremely glamorous to young ppl. It projects a ridiculously fantastical and unrealistic image of the Seoul area. And it is an industry that generates a lot of money. One of Korea’s most internationally marketable, and profitable, industries in-fact. It needs to get the fuck out of Seoul. The money it generates could be to the benefit of the local businesses and communities of another city. And those cities can be given an opportunity to develop, invite migration from young workforce. Besides, certain industries MUST be situated at the capital. No other way. But the golden Korean entertainment industry? Who gives a flying fuck if it is situated in Seoul or Busan?
Oh really? I did not know that… I hope that Korea considers that as it may help with their declining population. Also, they should fund more fertility treatments available for those who are struggling to conceive as well. Yes and growth needs be in other cities besides Seoul. It is never good to have everything based in one city only.
I am married to a Korean, living in Korea, with 2 kids, and I have to stay at home while my husband works, because maternal leave is so short. I cannot trust strangers to take care of my kids at such a small age, when they are not even able to speak and tell me what is going on at daycare. We don't want our kids to go to school here because of the constant stress put on them to study study study for what? Going to SNU? We are planning on leaving Korea soon.
Korea is self-destructing, in other words. They have to balance the prices and revive Busan as soon as possible. The first move is definitely make a city become the second Seoul, which should be Busan. After that, they should slowly try to revive the other cities by adding more universities.
@@hannastar very true. While I'm not anti capitalism, it's undeniable the effect it has had on our species as a whole. It seems like low birth rates is a natural consequence of building highly competitive societies.
I think the main problem is the SEOUL part. Here in the Philippines, we had a somewhat similar problem. But it's the other way around. We're waaay too overpopulated, especially in Manila. Metro Manila is like our Seoul. What did we do? We developed other cities down South. Like Cebu in the Visayas region and now Davao in the Mindanao region. Overpopulation is still a problem, but it's not as bad as before. It got even better when the work from home set-up was implemented. So a lot of people who used to live in Manila went back to their hometowns and continued their life there, while having equal opportunity.
Some of SK TH-camrs that stayed in my country were all agreeing that their lives in SK was so hard, thus makes them unhappy. And they really glad coming to my country because we're more laid back and have a lot more opportunity of jobs and business here. I think it's about the mindset, really. But that's even a harder problem to solve because it's so abstract.
I think a lot of millennials and gen z across most cultures and countries are having that same ‘f- it’ mindset. We don’t even think we’ll be able to retire, so living the best life right now is all that matters.
I'm an older millennial and I did the marriage thing. I prioritized my wife and her family over my own and it still didn't work out. Now she won't even let me see my kid or talk to him on the phone most of the time. So yeah, I'm doing the f-it living right now. Soon heading into my 40s and prioritizing myself and my hobbies and not concerned with finding another partner.
I'm swedish, a k-entertainment fan and regularly horrofied by what I learn about korean society. I come from one of the most gender equal societies in the world, and we have extensive parental leave and easily affordable childcare, meaning we have essentially no housewives. Not a single person I know had a stay at home mom growing up. That seems like such a nobrainer to me, of course women don't want to have children if it drives them out of the work place and makes them financially dependent on a partner for the rest of their lives. I'd say general access to childcare is a huge part of maintaining birthrates in modern, highly educated societies. In sweden we also have weak generational bonds, which I think is sort of sad, but it limits the negative impact of demanding inlaws. That probably helps people actually wanting to get married here. As a bit of a sidenote, I'm a teacher, and I would never allow a child of mine anywhere near the terrifying education system I've been told that you guys have. Making children at large depressed, burnt out and socially and emotionally stunted from lack of rest, play and human interraction is a bad way to encourage people to start families. From what I can tell, as a woman, getting married or having children seem like a bad life decision in Korea. I get why women there don't do it, I'd rather watch my k-drama boyfriends and live on my own too.
@Wang Lin Sadly you can only do that if you marry someone wealthy which was what one of my former friends did. But sadly not everyone is so lucky. Most need to both work these days in order to survive.
I think it's rather sad when kids do not have full time parents. We have low birth rates here in the US too (and degeneracy from single parent households). All we do is work for corporations then have fun on weekends and repeat. There's no purpose in that lifestyle. Family structure has broken down, leading to a "everyone for himself" society where almost no one can afford anything. A strong family support system is the lifeblood to a strong society.
i want to try living in seoul during my early 20s but after that i'm moving to a nordic country lol you guys seem to be doing pretty well in most areas. i'm from portugal and we're basically headed the same way as korea...
It has started in India too. I'm 30 and 70% of my friends are unmarried and they'd rather spend the money on themselves than on a baby. Marriage and kids are still seen as milestones among our parent's generation, but we kids rather get married if we find someone, than find someone to get married.
I am 29 years old living in India and most of my friends are married or having kids. tbh the ones who are living single is by choice cause people will still survive in this economy and we literally overtook china to most post population so some remaining single can somehow benefit us iykyk
@@moonie93 yes you are right it completely doesn't applies to India and I don't think it will completely ever going to apply to India some people in India being single is by choice but it doesn't applies to the whole a lot of people still wants to get married and have kids in India I myself know Indians who got married at the age of 25 and also there are a lot of young couples in India who are growing with each other in their careers. And also the thing about the parents going to work looking after the child is not a problem in India. in India still there is family culture and also babysitting is not expensive in India like it is in South Korea ...
No no no.... In India people aren't married and having kids 🤣😂😅 you muct be joking😜. Even on TH-cam you will find kids having their own kids 🤣 By the I believe India is gonna grow more than ever in coming decades.
You are not an entire country lol. In my experience, people around your age are all married lol. Also, living cost in India is still quite cheaper and people give no shit about "working too hard" to the point of chasing perfectionism.
The government needs to look seriously into this issue and make ramyun and chill a government funded program to increase their birth rate. It will be with all korean contestants
I think another factor for the declining birthrate would be because, today, young adults' have the knowledge of whether they are capable of becoming good parents or not. Those who go through rough childhood probably have less desire to have children because they can empathize with the pain that comes with being part of an unstable family and if they are aware of their instability, be it financial wise or health wise, then I highly doubt they would give birth and dump their responsibilities onto their children. Knowledge can be a blessing and a curse, after all.
if we want better people to come out of it, people need to know if they'd be a good parent or not. I know I would not and so I don't have kids and I want to cry when I see so many kids have parents that actually think "Because I said so" and "Don't talk back to me" as acceptable forms of communication. Then they wonder why those same kids get stuck in addiction, drugs or negative behaviors, because they never learned how to communicate. Let alone malignant abusers who really don't see their kids as even human, let alone a person. Parenting is a job that I think takes a certain personality or training or both. Like a lot of jobs, not everyone has the patience, education or temperament to give that child who deserves everything because they have no choice in whom can or can not give it to them. People use being a parent like martyrdom and any who do that are exactly the types unfit for the role. I applaud people who genuinely want to be a guardian for another living soul. Who take the time and preparation financially, mentally and physically to ensure that the kid has a really good shot, lives in a decent environment, has access to things they need and want and has a parent or guardian figures who know how to and can teach good communication skills. That's also just bare minimum. Ones best isn't good enough when it comes to the literal quality and longevity of another life, one in which is usually a choice to take on the responsibility for. I have no sympathy for parents that whine about it when it was entirely their choice and they struggle financially or in any other capacity. I just feel bad for the kids, because they can't choose someone more fit to fulfill the inherently one-sided deal that is being born and being unable to choose anything they get out of it, from genetics to nurture, not a lick of it is choice and both effect way way past childhood.
Oh god i wish nowadays everyone can think like this. Like a decent human being. Know your limit first before boldly jumping into big ocean. You mighy think you can swim in a calm pool, but ocean is another story.
I agree, some schools and businesses need to move to other provinces/cities and they need to focus on building a strong middle class. Also there needs to be books and movies and music produced that shows a happy and healthy family life, where mother-in-laws are not nightmares. Then cultural icons need to live by example and have families. I know idols getting married is such a bad thing to the fandoms but honestly I would love to see all the members of let’s say BTS, go to the military, come home, fall in love, show off their girlfriends and take us on the live adventure and then show us the weddings. I would cherish celebrating their babies and love to see pictures of them all being great dads.
Bro when Chen from EXO announced he's got our first EXO princess otw I am just in pure hype thinking we beat SM seniors in getting the first child lmao I'm too happy being an ancient EXO-L there's no way in hell I was ever getting the slightest hint of mad/furious if these idols are fetting married & popping babies left and right cuz lets face it - minis of our idols running around, possibility popping up as the Superman in Return of Superman with cute baby & daddy & pretty uncles around?? SIGN ME TF UP
There is something to be said about the culture of the Korean "Idol" they are very much encouraged to not date and focus on career. And they are named as "idols" as they are supposed to be the type of people the younger generations look up to. A culture (kpop culture) that very much pushes aside this idea of a family is very influential to the Korean culture as a whole, and could definitely be having an affect on it. But, just my own thoughts/opinions/theory...
I think one problem could also be that you need to have a university degree to become a respected part of society and to even gain a "normal" paying job. That means everyone is studying at least till their mid-20s before even being able to start up saving enough money to think about a family
Yes it starts early with them going to hagwons as kids so ig it falls on parents to be more lenient and take their mental health into account. If you're always in school then how can you even begin to see yourself as something other than a student expected to get an A+ on everything, you're not even treated like a human.
As a Korean high schooler living in Korea, the core issue to not having kids is that there's simply no way we can AFFORD one. Like you said, we hold very high standards for ourselves and are hyper competitive. It is embedded in our culture that we want our kids to succeed, succeed in the highest levels. If we aren't financially capable of bringing up a child that has access to all the materials available (study related), and have them receive mediocre results in school/jobs, we'd rather not bring them into this world at all. Having children is... considered an investment, in Korea. Something we invest our time and money into. Because that's how our parents raised us. When you invest in something, you need results. The money korean parents throw in for their children is mind blowing, but even if you don't want to be a 'competitive parent' you still need a fuckton of money just for the necessities. To put all that time and effort in, including your 노후자금 (basically the money needed to sustain yourself after retirement), and end up with a child that doesn't earn much money? That's an absolute failure, for both us and them. That's how things are viewed in our society. Also, Korea has become a very self centered society. I come first, my wellbeing comes first, my luxury comes first. There's no logic in sacrificing that to take a gamble in raising a child" , is how our generation views it. As a result (or a cause), there's a widening (emotional) gap between the baby boomer gen. and us. That polarization is actually the number one issue here in korea, in the sense that they don't fucking care about us, but expect- no, demand us to have children. Are you kidding me? Being overweight, being stressed out due to studying, dating issues, beauty standards... I'll be honest, none of my peers really view these issues the same way western society does. It's very normalized, to a point that...we aren't, actually, stressed out from it. Plastic surgery? Yeah, whatever. That's not a bad thing. Being overweight? It's as simple as thinking "Ugh, I need to lose some weight. I should work out at the gym." And then you do. You joke about it with your friends. It doesn't stress us out. Studying? We're students, of course we need to study. It's for our future, for our livelihoods. No pain, no gain. Again, it doesn't stress us out. We're used to it. Life is fun, enjoyable, as a teenager in south Korea. But is life fun, enjoyable, as a parent in south korea? Are my parents enjoying life? I don't think so. I think they would've led better, more successful lives without me. I don't regret my existence, I love myself, it's not that. Objectively, this is the truth. My parents know this, so they support the younger gen. when we express how we don't want to have children. It's not worth it, not in this country. That's how we view this issue.
I mean...It's all fine but you do realise that you won't be young forever? At some point even IVF can't help a person to get pregnant. 50 more years and your nation will simply disappear 'cause you're not even reproducing (not talking about growing in numbers). Either you need to come up with artificial womb as soon as possible or start accepting much more migrants (so far SK does nothing).
Not much diff in rest of the world, in UK they say that most people who are finishing uni soon won't be able to afford house if they don't have parents who can fund most of it.
@@Guest-iv4qo Yeah, I don't think this mindset is limited to koreans. But people in the UK, despite thinking the same way, still go through the birth and raising of a child. In Korea, that isn't the case. We are dead set on letting our birth rates drop to zero.
I feel like it might also be because the traditional ways of life is slowly dying out. The whole graduate high school, go to college, find a partner, get married, and have kids before the age of 30 pipeline is just something the newer generation doesn’t want to do anymore. In your 20’s and 30’s you’re still so young and have your entire life ahead of you. Not to mention people having to work their ass off just to survive with everything being so expensive. Like you said, kids and marriage is a huge commitment and I have so many things I would want to do and accomplish before I settle down.
Plus, for women, there is the further complication that the prime childbearing years are basically the mid-20's to mid 30's, when anyone who went to college or trade school is going to be knee deep in building their career or a business. It is kind of a cruel joke that a woman who really wants children is often forced to choose between children and career and that middle paths that do exist have their own problems. Some societies provide better support to working moms with affordable childcare, generous family leave and sick day packages, etc. but those all come at a cost. Some mothers grow uncomfortable that the workers at the daycare are more a mother to her child than she is, or realizes that while legally allowed to take certain leaves, that when layoffs come or promotions arise, those who put the company first are more likely to survive or thrive. I wonder sometimes if technology couldn't be helpful in this. If one could create an artificial womb where the mother never carried the baby and did not have to worry about menopause ending any chance to have babies (Assuming she froze her eggs and her partner froze his sperm), the time pressure is off as long as you are still in good enough health by your mid-40's or mid-50's to raise a child. By that age you would be much more financially secure, much more mature emotionally, and likely have reached about the pinnacle of your career, so you aren't clawing your way over everyone else still needing to work 12 hours a day to build your business or to get promoted. Of course, the idea of an artificial womb to gestate one's baby has many moral, ethical, and societal issues. Could a mother be as connected with a baby that never grew inside her? Would society view natural born and ex-utero born babies differently? Would your mother-in-law who had to quit her job to raise your husband shame you constantly for making her granddaughter in a lab because you couldn't be bothered to quit your job? Would churches and political parties resist the concept as an abomination much the way abortion or birth control are sometimes demonized? Would the technology be too tempting to use for immoral purposes like literally growing people to fill jobs nobody wants or to fight wars that no one wants to fight? I don't know what the solution is, I am just sorry that due to biology so much of this gets dumped in women's laps as by their mid-40's they typically can no longer have kids despite still being relatively young when lifespans typically reach into the 80's these days.
Very true and many don’t want to follow the cycle like you said. I wonder about that myself. Plus, having kids is not a guarantee that they will take care of you in old age like many think.
@@kentvesser9484 all these objections are definitely true and worrying. As a mom myself who got her first kid at 29, her second at 34, I gotta say that I don't subscribe to parents getting older. Yeah we live longer in general, but we still start to age physically around 25. And older parents also simply act older. Yes, you are more mature, but also less risk friendly. Many kids are way too pampered by their older parents. We clearly saw that in kindergarten, where the older parents were the more causious ones, often limiting their kids. The older you get, the less flexible you usually get. Also the later you get them, the later they leave the house. I often wish I got my kids earlier. E.x. when my ex divorced me, I was 40. Starting to date again at that age, while still having smaller kids, but also not willing to get more kids with a new partner, nearly impossible. At 35 that would have been another story. I will also be 50 in two years, and by then one of my kids is still not 18. At some point you are of a maturity that just want's the peace of mind, not caring about kids stuff, but just your own, as especially health issues show up, and menopause and still kids just isn't the ream deal tbh.
@@dagmarbubolz7999 Yes, it is a catch-22. Biologically we are better off having children younger, but society has developed in a direction where that is its own set of problems. At some point in countries with very low birth rates there is probably a pendulum swing back regarding birth rates as people truly feel the economic and social bite of a shrinking population, but that will likely be decades after the problem first became visible. For instance kids born in the next 10 to 15 years may feel their empty classrooms or see family branches just die off and adopt a different attitude towards children being less of a burden, but that might also come because of societal changes forced by the declining birthrate making kids more affordable. For instance a decades long drop in population will correct housing prices as apartments and homes go empty once the current occupant dies. A declining population may also give workers more leverage with wages. However, that declining population will likely also result in many business failures due to a lack of workers or lack of consumer demand. Sadly, it is a very complex problem that requires solutions that probably take decades to bear fruit and politicians and citizens usually don't have the patience for such long solutions.
@@kentvesser9484 you made very good points! For now, many are just trying to survive so having even one child is a luxury. But as the population gets smaller and smaller that is when the governments will try even harder to do everything to get people to have kids, lower housing costs and so many other things. But then again, money is just one of the things as there is more to having and raising kids than just money. However, money is one of the main things that you need to raise a child.
Loved your presentation of Korea, as a westerner we only see the good. Although in most kdramas there is what we see the conservative way of life, the culture. Life looks pretty hard and harsh there. So I can basically see and understand what you're saying. Wow.. really makes one think twice about life in Korea. Thanks for sharing.
*Tries to explain Korea's problems* (Accidentally tackles so many of world's problems, especially money problem and gender conflict problem which is present almost everywhere) Great video! Explains so much so well!👏
The root cause of money problem and gender conflict problem in almost everywhere is the stupid feminism bullshit movement and political party that take advantage of it.
No Korea is different. I feel so sorry for Korean women. It is a very s3xist society plus a very workaholic one too. Women who marry are supposed to put up with a lot of abuze and domestic labor from the husband and in laws (I mean even cooking one good Korean meal with 'n' number of side dishes seems to be a lot of work). Plus the brutal working hours, after work drinking parties and socialization seems hor*rible too. I recently read that there is a lot of s3xual har*rasment and s3xual crimes in Korea too. Some of the online chat rooms d2*gener*te males engaged in and also hide*den cameras even in public rest rooms seemed hor*rible too.
@@Kenin2000 It hasnt gotten worse. It was always like this but now women have the choice not to participate which is why birth rates are low. Korea has women's movements like 4B (no to dating, no to s3x, no to marriage, no to child bearing and rearing).
THIS is the kind of content I have always appreciated from DKDKTV. David - you did a really good job breaking down a huge problem with data, perspective, and humor in a way that foreigners can understand. And I agree with your video title: for those of us who love Korean content (entertainment or otherwise), we should put that in context with what is actually happening IN Korea. As for perspectives from other countries, it's difficult to even consider suggestions as an American. Not only are we a much larger country, but our structure of government creates multiple layers of legislative impact (federal, state, county, city, etc.) That said, I have seen a positive impact from two strategies: tax incentives for businesses and practical support for families (subsidized housing, food assistance, quality child care, and maternity/paternity leave). I hope someone nice slides into your DMs. ; )
I’m not disagreeing with your comment, but as a World War II era American I would like to point out that the listing you have for our government structure is the exact opposite as laid out in the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. The order the Founders put together in creating our Republic was God (who gives us inalienable rights that cannot be removed by any human being), the individual, the individual then in turn delegates to the state certain rights to which those who are delegated those rights are accountable to the individual; the collective states then delegate some of that power to the federal government but the federal government is accountable to the states and to the people, making the individual the boss and us a nation of, “We the people.” 😉
South Korea and Japan seem to be in the same boat. They know what their problems are and adequate solutions have been proposed, but there doesn't seem to be any political will to fix them. The biggest and best solutions would be to increase wages, lower housing prices, decrease working hours and decentralize various industries from Seoul. Is there anyone in the Korean government willing to take on the chaebols and other corporations to make this happen? I'm not Korean, so I don't know the answer to that, but that is what it would take. As for the gender conflict? You can't legislate hearts and minds, but if the people's basic materials needs were met (higher wages, decreased working hours, affordable housing), then you'd have less fighting and maybe more productive discussion about how the patriarchy hurts EVERYONE in Korean society.
Everyone is selfish. Even my university was offered a free move to a larger campus outside Seoul, but none of the professors wanted to move so they all voted against it. I would imagine it would be the same for any established and well-recognised university. People know what should be done but no one wants to make the sacrifices because they've worked so hard to be in the current position they're in. One of our previous presidents wanted to move the capital but all the people in Seoul got really angry at him for even suggesting it.
I was watching a documentary about Korean economic miracle. And it was said that after the civil war the government decided to support and give almost limitless power to chaebols' families. It happened, coz the government saw the potential in their companies and businesses. They were allowed not to pay taxes or pay less than others. I believe that these companies and their heads are still very privellaged nowadays. They care only about their personal wealth.
They wouldn't want to change patriarchy in Korea. I saw an interview from Asian Boss for Korea and men were already saying it's unfair for them because women have more privileges like they don't pay on dates 😂 which is not always true or they have separate cab on trains (not knowing it's due to men's sexual harassment) and many more. So I don't see them changing their system anytime soon. Same with Japan, women have lesser rights there. Seems both countries who have these type of problems both have difficulty enforcing equity laws for men and women.
In Japan's countryside municipalities renovate houses with no owner (they all died) and give them for free to families that want to come there. In Italy we hear about villages disappearing (only old people are there until they all die, or have to move because there's no services), and also about people becoming multi-owners of a lot of properties as they inherit them from a pool of dying grand-parents with few children and grand-children. I don't know how it will evolve. At one point it should lower the cost of living to have so much habitations available ? More space to build families ?
Those graphs made my blood boil and I'm not even in Korea lol. They want to complain about birth and marriage rates but make it damn IMPOSSIBLE for anyone to afford having a child, buy a home, marriage is not appealing anymore cause there is no real benefit, only liability.
A child can be raised in the woods. Our ancestors were raising them in caves and in forests. Yeah just saying that's a poor excuse. Just say you don't want to have kids because you care about yourself more and that's fine.
@@bizznick444joe7 a cave piont is ancestor we are modern human beings neanderthal Logic or Caveman dont apply even if some human tribes to this day rebuke Technology is too save their culture tradition and tribe language
I was into kpop even before it was trending. I got into kpop way back in 1995-96. I was listening to PANIC and SES and in 1998-2000 I forgot the exact year but found out about a local south korean band Patch Pocket and they were so cool and South Korea was slowly opening up to the idea to have a similar music created like how it happens across other nations grass roots and so I think it was SM Entertainment decided to have a live grass roots kpop/rock live TV show on local bands and one of the bands got on stage and the lead singer dropped his pants and started swinging it around and they were slow on editing it out and thus ending the grass roots effort to have bands make it on their own and laws passed and now today any and all bands are now only tryouts by the entertainment industry only. BOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Funny but sad.
What would help A LOT in my opinion: Childcare for free or just for a small fee (like "Kindergarten" in Germany), a place where you can bring your child while you can go to work. A place that offers not only taking care of your child(s), but also a place that helps them socialize with other kids, early education (on a playful level, Not on a competetive or stressfull level) and gives them space for creativity and play.
If they want families, society has to change the way it views its women. The way it pays them, the abuse of time encroachment after 5 pm and on weekend, this forcing of going to drink after work instead of going home to your family is crazy too, and provide close to free daycare until 6 pm. Respect after maternity leave so women can go back to work. The government should give money per child you have. But I agree, the education system in Korea is abusive with study halls until 11 pm and super competitiveness with marks and the right University only to get a sub-par job. I don’t blame you for wanting a different life for your future kids. Don’t forget the exorbitant deposits for your homes. It’s getting that way here in Canada as well. I’m thinking it’s better to get an apartment and put the rest in investments, you just can’t allow others to shame you for making that choice for yourself. But if K-Dramas are any indication, your kids don’t live. Depression in Korea is at an all time high. Was life the same for your parents going to school?
@@serendipity6277 I am totally with you on that! But what I read lately was: The conservative government now wants young women to work more overtime, increase their working hours up to 69 hours, which they can then reduce during "maternity leave". ... That's totally the wrong signal imo.
Same thing is happening in Spain. 😅 I'm 37, childless and my boyfriend of 10 years just died 2 months ago. I really don't see it easy for me to find someone else, and at 37 I'm already very tired to have a baby. Add the cost of living, housing problems job insecurity and low income. And there are way too many women and men going through similar situations.
That's why I will never listen to anyone who says I have a boyfriend for more than seven years because you know why unfortunately there is no stability in that.
In Korea, most people in their 40s and 30s literally have no kids and are not even married. Not to even talk of parent-less divorced adults. I feel bad sometimes for those in the entertainment industry (actors, actresses, models, backup dancers, Girl/Boy groups) cos they keep chasing money, continue enduring the stress society has to offer then end up committing suicide in the end
Serves them right BECAUSE MANY OF THEM ARE RACISTS! They have sooooo high standards among themselves they think they are better than other countries. I predict the next thing that will fail in their country is their electronics industry.
I'm 20, people my age just don't want to have kids anymore. We are over worked, underpaid, don't know what to do with ourself. This is a gobal problem, but because korea is smaller than most countries its more visible to notice.
Feel so sorry for Korean women. It is a very s3xist society plus a very workaholic one too. Women who marry are supposed to put up with a lot of abuze and domestic labor from the husband and in laws (I mean even cooking one good Korean meal with 'n' number of side dishes seems to be a lot of work). Plus the brutal working hours, after work drinking parties and socialization seems hor*rible too. I recently read that there is a lot of s3xual har*rasment and s3xual crimes in Korea too. Some of the online chat rooms d2*gener*te males engaged in and also hide*den cameras even in public rest rooms seemed hor*rible too.
I m 20 too , n I don't want kids , I m studying my ass off n want to live my life for myself when I get where I wanna reach, but it's very cultural n necessary thing in India to have a child , you in laws n parents need u to have child no matter what
@@krishafymedon't give them a damn sh*t girl, if you earn on your own then no way you need to change your life decisions for your parents & all. Also I'm an 17 yr Indian girl too & I have no plans to get married EVER cuz indian men are such poor quality that they aren't worth it, they were never actually, our past generation men were just lucky that the women weren't allowed to stay unmarried or take their own decisions. I just love a girl & has only plans to settle with her, if she rejected me I'm not getting married (well she don't like men as well but she's just afraid of the stigma of being with a girl, she's a bit conservative). Umm if you don't mind, can you give me suggestions to convince her?? 😢
Korea should think about moving the government out of Seoul. That might help distribute the economic wealth and demographics to other parts of the country and fix a bit of the housing crisis. Some countries avoid having their capitals in the biggest cities. See the USA, Canada and Australia, for example. Most states in the US have their governments in smaller, regional cities. Decentralization might be a start for Korea as David is suggesting.
In India marriage is not a 'choice'. Arranged marriages are VERY COMMON here. So even if you don't have a boyfriend or girlfriend, you don't have to worry because your parents will find a girl/boy for you no matter what( let me remind you that this is true for more than half of our population. Some people have a choice and they can also go for a love marriage but it's not true for everyone).
@@Ipromiseyounobodyismad nobody asked you too. The internet is accessible to all, so you have the choice of writing your thoughts on this platform as well as ignoring the ones you don't agree with. You could've done that too🤷♀️
@indiainsights I live in the capital. Anyways, whether love marriages are common or not depends on our experiences. I do not live in a village but still I have seen people confining themselves within the boundaries of caste and religion. Love marriages are still not seen in a positive light and that is what shaped my opinions about love marriage. I'm sure that it might be a different case for you as you have different experiences than me.
I am an Indian and I would like to point out the following reasons why we don't have these problems despite having to face several other factors- 1. India is a diverse country. We have tons of major cities like Bangalore, hydrabad, Mumbai, Chennai, kolkata each having their fare share of industries and institutions. For eg, i like in Kolkata which has some of the best colleges in the country, my friends in IT lives in hydrabad and Bombay, my cousins in entertainment industries live in Mumbai, students who study for competitive exams live in Kota. However, there exists a constant shift of rural population to urban cities but we also need to consider despite having tons of tech companies our country is mainly an agricultural one- so people do active farming and is not looked down upon coz farmers in Punjab and Haryana actually earn lot more and any average small company employee. 2. The cost of living is very low. Though there is obvious disparity in different cities. One person can live comfortably with 400USD/month in Kolkata while to live comfortably in Mumbai you need to earn a min of 1000USD. It involves rent of an apartment, food, and entertainment+ some saving. Now parents are huge support system specially in the upper and upper middle class- so one does not need to worry about buying a house as living with one's parents after marriage are actually normal also helping the fact that the grandparents look after the child. Both my parents are working so i was practically raised by my grandma from aged 10-18. 3. The people have deep faith and religious belief irrespective of their economic status and class. Many of them give back society and are philanthropic, so there are tons of students being funded to school and colleges of they have merit. Even the government provides tons of scholarships to economically disabled students. The downside of the faith and family oriented society. is that the gender discrimination, and this leads to a person have 3 to 4 girls before finally giving birth to a boy. Indian society is also male dominated and the man is expected to pay for most of the things. Bt the thing is the new generation believe in equal contribution or whatever contribution is required for a better FAMILY LIFE. It's family as a whole that matters rather than individual needs. So there are also incidences where the woman is the sole breadearner. There are many other factors too bt my fingers are aching at this point
Exactly, I'm from your neighboring city Howrah, and I agree with your point. Even though our economic development is not absolutely perfect, at least it doesn't solely focus on growing the cities only. Also, in our daily lives, we see women who are the bread earner nowadays and also it has stopped being a great deal. It is more of our culture that thinks of the family's priority first and then individually. Just like in Korea, both men and women work here for living well, but still while doing so, if they are committed they think of growing a family after enjoying alone for some time.
right now india is still very young but at some point it will reach there maturity level in this mid century if you know india birthrate is already at replacement point (2.1). either way a society that can handle a more divers and multicultural ethnicity has no problem adapting to our new and more connected world.
Yea I makes sense. I was wondering why it works for India but this comment makes sense. Though also just to add, (this is a personal opinion based on my experience and the people I know around me), there might people who are not interested in getting married etc. (like me) but that is such a minority that it doesn't even matter. Also many of such people do end up getting married due to societal or family pressure or lack of choice. Like I am holding out till now since my parents are being understanding, but I feel it's inevitable that they might get me married one day lol. I know I won't bring up the topic but yea lol. And I do know people who are in their mid-30s and still single but that's such a minority. (no offense)
Fantastic summary as told by an actual representative of the affected demographic. 👏 best of luck, Koreans. Then again, problem seems to be everywhere so, good luck to all of us.
I'm an American living and working in Korea, and I think you really got to the root of a lot of these current issues... I think there needs to be a whole mindset change here, too. Where I'm from in the US, there are no big companies, so work in farming or manufacturing are perfectly acceptable and respected aspirations for anyone who wants to keep living in the area. Sure, going to the city and getting an education is a big thing too, but you aren't a failure if you want to go be a farmer or work on the manufacturing line at the nearby car plant. In fact, those people can end up making a lot more money than someone with a "fancy education" in my hometown. Also... as far as bringing in more foreigners... I'm all for it, as a foreigner living here myself, but if Korea is serious about it, they need to seriously consider what kind of benefits and protections they set up for foreigners coming here. Most of the routes you can take to live here long term as a foreigner, especially if you come here for marriage are setting you up for a life of purely being at the whims of your Korean partner, with little to no rights yourself outside of the marriage... To me it seems like a recipe for disaster. We see a lot on the internet about hot, young westerners dating cool, young Koreans, but there is a darkside to foreign partners (especially wives brought in from southeast Asian countries) where the women are left with no say in their lives, no power to leave their partners, and well.. you can see how this would be bad. So Korea, please, if you are trying to import more foreigners, do it in a sustainable, humane way that can help everyone involved.
Immigration is just putting a patch over a larger problem.(not xenophobic I’m an immigrant to the country where I reside) Korea needs to improve the financial and mental quality of life for their youth. I also think Korea needs to decentralize for Seoul having only 1 area with opportunity is just unsustainable.
To be honest, something similar is happening here in Belgium. I have the feeling that capitalism as a system is really starting to fail. I have no idea what the solution to that is either. But things are getting really bad financially. I'm always afraid to ultimately end up on the street with nothing. It's been disastrous for my mental health which I really struggle with. I'm 32 and can't even think about a partner or a child because I'm so busy just trying to keep my head above water.
It is not just you but I and many others are on the same boat. I am in my 40s and still single with no kids. I am just trying to survive so marriage and kids are the last things on my mind. I just hope I can find someone down the line and have just one child then I am happy enough. However, I wonder if that is even possible as life is so hard now.
@@TrinhNguyen-sh4fj even here in USA matured men not interested to marry because of not being financially stable they are still living with their parents….And they consider marriage as a liability due to high cost of living …
@@faithdino4428 I live in the US so know it all too well. I have 3 brothers who are married, one wants to be single and 2 who are financially stable but are scared to marry and have kids. They are afraid to marry the wrong person and lose their hard earned money and all that.
@@aquastar7990 China is semi capitalism & communism, they produce many millionaires every year although the CCP holds the most control of almost everything.
I've been living here in Korea for over five years, and compared to the U.S., it's like the basic human nature of genuine care for others is almost nonexistent - AND they take things to the EXTREME. Working is extreme. Bullying is extreme. Looks is extreme. Carelessness for others is extreme. Drinking is extreme. Emotions is extreme. Control is extreme. Judging is extreme. Lack of sexual control is extreme. Disrespect for anyone with a natural tan to dark skin is extreme. Etc., etc., etc. Don't get me wrong, there are lots great things as well here, but the society pressure is an overwhelming giant red flag for the country. Especially when you're a foreigner, AND a women. Get ready to know what overt sexism on display looks like, because the gender roles part for the men is weak and not even worth negotiating as the ones who complain that they are "gIvEn An AlLoWaNcE", "CaN't BuY a DrOnE", cAn'T bUy A gAmInG pC", "hAvE tO gIvE hAlF oF wHaT tHeY oWn" are the BROKE and LAZY bums that could never AFFORD a family to begin with that use heavy filters on their online profile pictures.
Even their passport photos are manipulated. Here in Malta passport photos can only be taken at the passport office. If the photo came bad, it will remain bad.
I’m married to an adopted Korean. I live outside Seattle. We have a huge Korean population. I know tons of Korean Women that complain about their mother-in-law’s, and their husbands that don’t really do much. Even if you moved to the US, you still have these cultural problems. I agree probably not to that extent if they were still in Korea. I actually do follow a lot of the interracial couple TH-camrs. Partly, because we’re an interracial couple. But a lot of the TH-camr couples I follow aren’t having kids either. I’m not gonna lie if you want to find an American girl just follow a Korean mommy group. Believe, me the women will hook you up. They love matchmaking. Cheers, I hope it gets better.
@@equal5505 Because of all the same reasons. They're struggling to survive. So they rob for their money, kill, steal, etc to get by. Drug abuse is because they're trying to escape reality. It becomes a vicious cycle.
Korea is so advanced in many many ways, but they lack the give a f*ck attitude. I'm from a Latin American country, the third world, and we have a positive mindset very imprinted in our society. Generally speaking, our education is not at the level of Korea, but we have enough free time to have hobbies, make friends, etc. If we go to a good university, we think is very important to make friends because they can be future partners. Koreans are used to a very fast pace, but we are used to taking our time. They have beauty standards that go against their natural features, they get criticized if they don't have expensive things, their dates are like job interviews, the poor kids study more than 12 hours a day and they don't go out, people consider you "lazy" if you are a little overweight and that even makes you not be accepted for a job... I mean, I can continue but I think it's pretty obvious that they have a suffocating society with VERY high standards. They really need a change in the mentality of their society.
Reading it summed up like this makes me go pale... Even though I'm no expert that's what I've gathered too I love their culture but they lead rather unhealthy lifestyles
U just wrote my thoughts!! I think this also true for countries like india and Nepal etc. (Even though india(we) really needs to control the population, its way too high )
It’s easy to judge a whole country on the surface but it’s not that simple. making a wage is what is affecting many people to not have kids. It’s the main core of it all.
You have summed it up so well. I come from Pakistan, a literal third world country. And don't get me wrong, we have our own set of problems here. But if you just look past the surface, Pakistan is a generally happy society. The people are relaxed, laid back, and generally optimistic. And making it big isn't that hard once you get your foot in, despite the crippling poverty and inflation. I do also think that some ideological differences definitely come into play that definitely keep the people's morale high. But you are very apt with the fact that everything seems extremely manufactured and transactional in Korea. Breaking the family and friend traditional structure (marriage, friendships, bonds) might a short-term financial solution. But it is also a long-term ticket to loneliness and unhapiness.
There's so much to say. The fast development, more and more people "enjoying" the "luxuries" of consumerism, being workaholics where the preparation for crazy competition starts in schools, suicidal teenagers due to societal pressures, the impossibility to buy your own flat, all the age-hierarchy. There is room to improve.
Hi David, thank you for highlighting the current issues in Korea (Real talk!😳) It's so sad (although every country has its own crisis/issues to one extent or the other🙄). Geographically South Korea is such a beautiful, blessed country with such amazing landscape, all four seasons, the breathtakingly stunning cherry blossom season, delicious cuisine, many great talented ppl, some respectful traditions, family morals/principles, beautiful ppl, respect for the elders etc. Me and my family have been taken in by the "Halliyu" wave love watching K-Dramas, great OST's, K-Pop (BTS). Some of their deep meaningful lyrics really helped us heal through a very difficult time 0:02 Your video is spot on and does highlight the current crisis. I pray that the Korean government/Society is able to move forward in a healthy positive way to help overcome the problems ppl/youth are facing and can progress over the next few years God Willing🤲🙏Wishing you all the very best with your excellent, informative, educational content and may you have a happy, blessed future. Keep up the great work👍 🤗
David, I'm LOVING the 2023 YOU! You are a truth teller with wisdom. You don't talk reckless and waste your words. I'm glad you posted this to share the challenges in South Korea. It's people like you that can help bring awareness.
India in comparison to Korea is a bigger country in terms of size. I think the low birth rate faces in Korea can be found in bigger Indian cities where higher percentage of women make substantial number of the respective cities workforce. Also in India the mentality of continuing a bloodline is very strongly communicated to the younger generation and the families usually chip in to look after the grandchildren while the parents are away working. I honestly do not blame these younger generations being wary of having children. I am on the same boat. For me it is not the financial issue but more of social issues that is stopping me from wanting to have a child. There are just too much negativity in this dangerous world. I am not a happy person so it will be very selfish of me to bring a new life into this world just because my family wants me to.
I can't agree more. People in cities are revaluating their value systems and their priorities (esp the privileged few who can) and are pushing childbirth to later in their life, but we also need to remember female foeticide is still a very prevalent issue in India and it is skewing the population drastically and causing other social problems. So, even if birth rate is high, imo it's a false positive. Wish we can make life more sustainable and really utilize remote work and develop local economies and bring social change.
Bro- you're an open minded Korean. And i like that about you- and my country INDIA. EVEN with its own problems - I LOVE MY COUNTRY MORE THAN ANYTHING 😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌
what a great video. i really never understood why other cities are not as built up. Korea as a whole is not a huge country. To invest in other cities makes more sense. But also someone does need to slip into David's DM's. His multicultural babies would be so cute.
It's depressing all around. Finding a good, stable job is just as hard as finding a relationship now. I'm one of 5 kids. The oldest is 37 and none of us are married. One is a doctor and still fighting to pay off school loans. It sucks. Just hoping after graduate school I can make enough to finally move out on my own 🥴
This just reminds me when I was in seoul last year studying abroad and me and my friends took a trip to Busan and Gwangju. Although Busan had younger people there, it wasn’t as compared to Seoul and for Gwangju, it almost felt asif there weren’t many people living there. It was soooo quiet and most of the people present there were the elderly and many stores were closed etc..
Having studied in Korea and Europe, I would put social gender roles/sexism on place 1 or 2... I heard female korean friends saying they are too anxious about gaining weight in a pregnancy due to the unattainable beauty standards. Plus the traditional socially enshrined idea that mothers have to sacrifice everything for their family, also professionally and physically (including profession, independence, free time etc.)
Interesting. So much to think about. Well packed video. Unfortunately, I can only think that Korea needs to keep producing more high quality K-Dramas about how everything will be ok. Actually, I think you kind of nailed it for the most part. Many of these problems are fairly universal. With everything you have mentioned, I'm sure there are other factors. For example, global economic influences, what NK does, and ... now maybe chatgpt (!?). Of course I should add that I am an American who's knowledge of Korea comes 60% from watching K-dramas. 🐧
The same is happening in Portugal, mostly about the money situation. The birth rate is low and the minimum wage isn't enough to live anywhere so on top of fewer children we also have a huge emigration problem where a lot of young adults are leaving the country.
Also, until major infrastructure, administration and major companies are shifting to other cities, companies and universities can also switch their employees and students to work from home or study from home. Like if you do not need to attend offline, you can settle anywhere (other than Seoul) have a comfortable life and a family while working in a good company or studying in a top university. This in my opinion can be one of the many solutions as David discussed.
Hi David! Thank you for this very interesting video. I live in France, where we have no problem with birth rate, even if it tends to decline too.. I think the reason is the government social protection for health, unemployment, pensions, and family welfare. Moreover life in regions is fair and even if Paris is THE place to be for jobs, big cities offer a large offer with lower rents. As for small cities, for me it’s heaven… So… come to France: people are always moaning but it’ s just a way of being and in regions they are welcoming (except perhaps in too much touristic areas 🤔) I remember Jungkook’s words when asked what he reminded from french language: « Y’en a marre! » (I’m fed up!) and « saucisson » 😂
this was very insightful wow, but current generation is literally thinking same everywhere in India too that its better to not marry but as usual we give in to our parents wishes and get married lol
do people in your life accept the financial inequality because of the caste system being a part of ancient indian culture? please excuse my possible ignorance
@@niteshade2271 : you should check out who is Indias present and past president was. This "caste system " doesn't exist in India in the form like several centuries ago. It's name only.
As wealth becomes increasingly concentrated among a small portion of the population, it becomes challenging for the average person to afford the cost of living, such as housing and childcare expenses. Currently, wealth inequality in Korea is at its highest point. Addressing these concerns will require a multifaceted approach that involves implementing policies aimed at reducing income inequality, promoting work-life balance, welcoming immigrants, and facilitating their integration into Korean society. Policies must address both the economic and social factors that contribute to this issue.
I must agree with you. I experienced living in South Korea and the first thing I noticed was the too much of everything. From a costly house, a too high renting fee, commodities prices, discrimination at work from color of the race to educational attainment. SoKor as it seems becoming more expensive than Japan where I also been an expat for so many years. The arrogance of many Koreans in Korea is also one factor why the country starts to suffer. There's a lot of difference from Koreans working and living in other Asian countries.
i feel blessed even if i belong in a 3rd world country, a small city in a province, coz little by little it is developing and almost all towns in our province are becoming cities which means we don't have to get out of our small cities to get a good job and be able to live a decent life. I think the problem is because of materialism, people would rather want to spend on themselves instead of having a family and not looking at the long term effect. One key is being content of simple life, i mean who doesn't want a grandiose life, but not all can't have it let's accept and the solution is being content, life-work balance, because even if you are someone who has what other people don't have, you may still feel empty and sad if there's no contentment and balance. I hope i am making sense 🤧 sorry for my english just saying my train of thoughts, korea is one of my fave country and a dream destination so i'm hoping for the best in the future🙏🏻
I don’t think the problem is materialism but is jobs that refuse to pay workers what they are worth and high costs of living. Having a family is not financially possible for many, whether it be in South Korea, the USA or elsewhere.
Having a child is and should be a big responsibility. If you can’t take good care of that child, especially financially then what’s the point of having them? People shouldn’t give birth to children they can’t take full responsibility of. So it’s not good to have the mindset “let’s just give birth to children” if u don’t have enough & make the child suffer.
You would hate it if you come. It is one of the most racist countries. They look down on many Asians especially those with dark skin. You will be looked down there. Good luck lol.
Poland is struggling with the same problems. However, fortunately, we do not have such pressure in schools and such competition. Children and teenagers in Poland are happier
In Poland, birth rate - although not being enough - it's still much higher than in South Korea. I think that for Poland in 2023 it was 1,467 births per woman.
Hi David , Even though India's population is growing & is becoming fastest growing economy in the world but India also have similar problems . I think It all comes down to human rights , financial equality , societal mindset, gender equality & good human laws. I believe if government work to implement good policies & society change their old fasion mindset to modern mindset then why would people refuse to get married & live a happy life & why not have a baby on the way .
Comparison is the thief of joy. I’m so sorry to hear about the struggles of Korea. Hopefully y’all will find some solutions and resolutions to these challenges and turn this situation around. Good Luck 👍🏽
i dont know why but in Indonesia nowaday Indonesian Korean Couple/Marriage is pretty common especially in Big City like Jakarta, Bandung, and Surabaya. turst me its pretty common comparing to other Indonesian Couple/Mariage with non Indonesian like China/Japan.
In Germany we have been dealing with this issue as well. Our main concern is our pension. As the population ages and fewer people are born to pay into our pension system, our retirement ages continue to rise. It is currently 67 years for Generation x. Later generation will have it much worse.
I absolutely LOVED this raw opinion piece! Go David! Loved the tone of it, the editing and your honest take on it. Please do more of these. It suits you well!
I'm from India people in India work and enjoy holidays like weekend festivals so they can spend time with family but here in Korea it's good that people focus only on work. But one should take time to give time to one's life and family also, the government there should give holidays, this was my opinion.
Yeaaaah after spending 6 months in Korea I realised a bunch of this myself and honestly despite how unbelievably hyped I was to live here before coming, I do see now that it's a no no. Not blaming anyone but these social problems just make for too much anxiety about the future
Great video! S.K was #1 on luxury spending in 2022 beat U.S and China which is crazy bases on the size. The society of need to keep up from look, outfit, school, car, and etc. It built up lots of debts. It's another reason why many can't afford having kid bec the extra cost.
That is one of the main problems right there. Many are just too into the latest trends and living luxuriously instead of just a simple lifestyle. If people just live a more humble life then 1-2 kids would be doable. Many are too selfish to have kids these days. I have a friend who has only one child so can still afford to live luxuriously but if she had 2-3 kids, she cannot enjoy her luxury spending anymore and would have to cut back.
My cousin (Samoan - European) literally marrying a Korean guy, but I was the one who got her into K-pop. There are not many Koreans in my country, it’s probably Chinese, Japanese, and Indians, but Korean is pretty rare. Recently many kdramas mention my country and it’s so odd like.
Great post!!! As a foreigner and older person I think those problems are the same among other countries. The difference is the status in the spectrum. I started to learn Korean language, and Korean culture, only 3 years ago... I think culture and tradition are big issues and big obstacles to overcome. Citizenship as to change in many ways and that takes time. That's the beginning... for instance, a woman doesn't need to choose between family or a career... or has to suffer harassment as a single mother... big enterprises need to change work environment... etc, etc... a long way ahead with a delayed start... but please, don't end k-dramas or k-pop!!! Luv from Portugal 🇵🇹
I like your suggestions of spreading infrastructure, services, and education outside of Seoul. In addition, Governments all over the world need to make childcare facilities MANDATORY in workplaces and school buses for free and have nursing home for elderly next door to child car centre so the two groups interact. As Korean men have to do military services, Korean women should also give 2years to care services eg,child or elderly care
Housing crisis is everywhere I feel. Housing prices are crazy in the US and rent is also outrageous. There are more people graduating from college and living with their parents into their 30s. It’s ridiculous.
I am an Indian and yes there r many problems in our society too just like others but what keeps us going I think is the spirituality. There is gender inequality too but we don’t hate the opposite gender. People somehow still believe in the institution of marriage. Thinks have change for sure like no one dives in to children soon after marriage they enjoy them self but there is always a child in future plan.
In my very personal opinion, as a 67-year-old man, people today think too much of themselves because they have a lot of complacency available that didn't exist in the past. And I am not saying that all the inconveniences described are not true, but in the past, getting married and having children came with age, and the rest would be seen later. If becoming a richer, more developed, more complacent society goes against our existence, I don't know boy, something in our society is very, very wrong.
It sounds like S. Korea is having a huge housing crisis just like the United States is! I’ve been asking myself how the majority of people are supposed to be able to afford either rentals or buying at this point because it seems like you need to be rich to afford either at this point with the exception of low income rentals which are subsidized. It makes me wonder what will happen to all of the homes that have been occupied by regular working people. The “American Dream” of being able to buy a home feels dead right now. The difference or distinction here though is that plenty of people still seem to have babies anyway whether they are single parents or end up getting married ever. Also, a lot of financially struggling people have kids in the States so there’s that.
At this point in the US might as well go back to days where while family lives together. Where I live and paid a decent wage it would take almost 1 full check minus a few hundred just to cover rent/mortgage. This does not include extras like utilities, groceries etc. Sad state the world is in. 😞
The basic problem is that in South Korean society, there are many people who live their lives comparing themselves to others. If others do it, you know you have to do it yourself, and you care a lot about how others see you. Compared to Nam Han-woon, they know the value of happiness only with money, house, and job, and are not properly pursuing various values of happiness. As a result, stress dominates South Korean society.
I find this so true and is not only a Korean thing. I experienced this a lot within my family in the US. They like to compare and compete with each other.
So sad to hear this. I am from India. I heard about this situation but never expected this much severity. The solution for this problem is decentralised development towards the towns and villages. This will give some relief for public.
I think you got it at the end. Have the mega business and top universities pick a city or region and then have the government pay to move them there. Also if you're working 120 hours a week just to get by then you have no time to socialize. that's why we generally have a 40 hour work week.
Birth rates are low everywhere now. I'm in my 30s and in the US. My siblings, younger cousins and I decided that NONE of us wanted kids because it's too expensive and we want to enjoy our life. Jobs are limited due to constant layoffs. Housing has gone up in most states. It's too difficult financially.
Yes, birth rates are low everywhere but are extremely low in South Korea. Many of my cousins and some of my brothers have kids but they have good paying jobs and have bought houses already. They are the lucky ones.
@@WNY323 I was initially gonna say you must either be white or yellow, but then I decided ‘yellow’ was crude. Makes sense. Immigrants from the First World Far Eastern Asian countries are the most sophisticated and elevated segment of the American population nowadays. Chinese, Japanese and Korean… in the next decade, Thai as well. Educated, increasingly wealthy and socially responsible. More so than white Americans.
I live in Switzerland and the things you said sounded familiar to me although the situation by far isn't as extreme as in Korea. Our birth rates are low but not quite as low and we also have a lot of foreigners in our country (~27% of the population) which help to keep the economy going - although, I'd say there's also some competition going on between Swiss and foreigners when it comes to jobs (in some fields, at least - while in other fields it's so important to have foreigners in the workforce since there's not enough Swiss people for the demand). Our population pyramid looks similar to the one you showed for Korea. Good health care allows people to grow really old, meanwhile, the low birth rates cause the workforce to slim down. Housing prices are quite high, especially in cities such as Zurich. The good thing here is that you could live in any city or even in small towns and villages and commute to a bigger city if you work there (our country is tiny after all) - which allows people to work in the cities where they earn more money but live in the countryside where housing prices aren't as sky-high. But my generation (I'm 24 now) is also facing increased pressure as living on your own two feet becomes more expensive and difficult with time. The hatred between the two sexes isn't as extreme here and feminism has become popular - but there's still animosity between the two sites - just not as much as you mentioned and we're constantly progressing! Especially the younger generations have become quite accepting and tolerant. I wonder whether these issues are a universal thing (at least in industrialised countries?) - just more extreme in some and less so in others?
@@Lalalein haha, no you did well summing up everything! Also I would agree it is a global issue for many industrialised countries, even if it seems to be more prominent in some than in others. At least the issue with housing and living costs, I’m about to be 30 this year and I do not know one single person who either bought or is intending to buy a house or flat or anything alike and this seems to be the case for many young ppl in various places around the world🤔🙃
@@AnuHerself Thank you, I'm glad to hear that! And yes, right, it seems to be that we can all more or less relate to one another based on these issues even if we live in totally different countries and cultures. I watched a documentary about Korean pop culture recently and there was a woman who talked about the social issues young adult characters are facing in certain Korean movies and how people from all over the world can relate to these issues despite not living in Korea and experiencing Korean society. It's interesting to see how we all go through such things. And wow, yeah... I can totally imagine! I don't think I could see myself buying a house or flat or so for myself anytime soon... I might play with that thought if I planned on moving in with someone (like a long-term partner) but for myself alone? It's just not affordable enough and for the time being, I'm even still living at home as it's currently the most cost-effective way for my mom and me to live...at the very least for as long as I'm still in university.
Well summarized. Great video. The pictures and drawings are hilarious 🤣 Keep your sense of humor, being fun on a serious subject. I like this type of narrative.
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You buried the real story, David. Pretty much the same issues for youth in many places. You need to welcome immigrants so there is no need to pressure young women to reproduce with a manchild who cannot deal with that responsibility. Women’s and other genders’ quest for social and economic equality is hardly a “gender conflict”. Try accepting single parents and gays having kids and you might see more reproduction, if that is a must. Honestly, it seems there is only one way to be an adult in Korean society, and the burden falls on the women, who are supposed to enact medieval family roles while pulling down an executive salary in a workplace that doesn’t accept marriage or pregnancy as a reality of adult life. Your government is really sleeping on the country’s most valuable Human Resources. Economic growth is only one aspect of nation-building. A strong society places high value on all of its members and strives to help them reach self-actualization.
Cash doesn’t work. The govt needs to work with companies to move out of Seoul. Free education for couples who have more than 2 children. Unification would also help.
I don’t
@@alisonfraser8231 Gay or single parents will not affect their birth rate. That makes no sense and is statistically invalid. Polls also show that almost all young Koreans, the ones who are relevant to fertility rates, agree that housework is evenly shared. Their fertility rate where men and women in older generations responded with more defined gender roles are actually the ones with the higher fertility rate. Korea also seems to have introduced every policy you can imagine (parental leave policies, affirmative action policies for women, period day, women education funding) to the point where young Korean women are earning more degrees than young Korean men, and actually, more degrees than men or women anywhere in the world. And are trending towards out earning young men which is a terrible dynamic. Studies (in the US) show that women, even when making a lot of money, still want spouses who make even more than they do. This is hypergamous behavior that is not found in men. A dynamic where young women are out earning young men (the fertile ages) thus would be terrible to encourage marriage and ultimately family.
Give it up. Korean softpower is declining rapidly and people are waking up to Korea's vile nature.
No big deal. Just make Kpop Grandma/grandpa groups.
Dude😂
After reading those serious comments above and then.... scrolled down to yours 😂 . It's like a funny commercial break of an intense documentary series.
😂😂😂😂
Thank you ❤❤❤❤
😂
I think if you want to raise birth rates you ultimately have to improve worker rights in Korea, meaning more vacation time, less required working hours, etc. It requires a change in the society's mindset which you can only get through proper policies like these, so that people have more time and don't feel like they need to hussle constantly and compete with everyone.
this + increase pay or lower the cost of living somehow. So many people still live with their parents even when working or in school because the cost of living in Seoul is just too much
@@SPDcru Agreed. Same with Japan ✌️
Working rights need to improve but also Salaries and working hours as well, an average Korean will work 12 hour days and still bearly make ends meet that’s a massive problem, more affordable housing as well
Well David all I can say is you sure know how to cut to the quick.
if this isn’t the most honest representation of your generation in the Korean society right now, I don’t know what it is.
My heart goes out to the whole lot of you. It doesn’t seem like hard work is going to pay off anytime soon for your generation in Korea.
but, we can always hope can’t we? 😢
This comment deserves to be pinned haha
In short, life has become so tough that we only have the ability and capacity to look after our own selves.
Ironic since people today have more comforts & conveniences compared to people 50 years ago. It's like people traded freedom & the simple life just to be enslaved by technology, modern lifestyle and debt.
Life in the past was tougher, I was born without electricity, no tv, and no car but four siblings, I have 2 sons but my kids don't want to have any, and that's OK it's their choice, We are too many people anyway.
Not it's not , femenist views is why ppl not having kids .
not even ourselves, It's hard to even feed yourself, let alone children.
@@Pray4Cilleythat’s not true lol. Feminism is mainly prominent in the west. In the rest of the world they’re still having issues with the child birth rate, like in Korea. Feminism isnt popular in Korea yet they still have this issue. Mainly because raising a family these days is extremely expensive and their work hours are far too excessive. In the west there are plenty of people who want kids but simply are not financially stable enough to do so. They could still have kids but it would be a big struggle. Like myself, I want kids but I barely have enough money to look after myself.
I don't blame Koreans for not wanting to get married or have kids due to many of the factors you mentioned. Also, as a woman, I can't imagine having to put my husband's family before my own.
Not just a Korean thing and traditionally, you are supposed to value your husband’s family more.
@@TrinhNguyen-sh4fj yeah and i hate this tag so i won't get married at all
@@TrinhNguyen-sh4fj it should be balanced. There's no rules to put your other spouse's family more.
@@TrinhNguyen-sh4fj traditionally where ? every country is different.
@@Mimi-mq2wj In China and Vietnam it was like that. Some are still like that. But back in the days, your husband’s family is more important.
After hearing that, I think the Korean government should REALLY focus on developing the other cities and also the more rural areas in Korea, so that people actually want to live there. That everyone wants to live in Seoul seems to be a main reason for a lot of the issues mentioned, especially housing prices.
Exactly and it is not good to concentrate everything into Seoul or any one city. That is how North Korea is as everything is focused into the capital Pyongyang.
Urbanization is by far the number 1 reason for falling birthrates globally.
You put it in words. I’ve been trying to explain that about Accra in Ghana. I also joke that if there’s a natural disaster here, we will lose SO much or basically everything because of how much the government keeps cramming here with no second thought about other cities.
That's actually valid for most developed countries in the world. Not only South Korea :)
@@lex6819 That and contraception ofc.
The Korean government should focus more on developing the provinces and other rural areas. Most of the younger Korean generation just want to live in Seoul. The many rural areas here in Korea are almost empty! They should develop and invest more outside of Seoul to encourage people to live there. Housing prices here in Seoul are crazy but in other parts of Korea, you can buy a decent apartment if you want to.
if they develop provinces and rural areas ,koreans had to beg food from other countries. rural must rural ever, not city learn that first. rural areas are used for farming and cultivate food from nature, if you destroy nature for your developments and infrastructure ,you had to import food from foreign countries which results in fall down of your economy .economically stronger countries are african subcontinents ,i never heard african countries have economically backward or have economic crisis ,because they have good amounts of nature ,which they can cultivate food instead of importing or relying on outside countries. korea is a small country so developing rural provinces doesnt help and instead makes it worst . because same problems we are facing in india, we are importing food now, we lack lands and cultivation ,many food trees like tamrind eucalyptus in india are now extinct .so india is small just like korea.
We would have to ask the almighty untouchable families of Korea if that is okay to do, lol.
i think this is now a days globules problems
@@deepthinker1710 l am with you, and l have travelled South Korea. Just another point: It is not so much to build in SKorea more apartment blocks, l noticed that in the rural areas, which is the most part of South Korea, there are living mostly elderly, who attended to farming, and animals. All the young people strive living in the 5 Cities in this small peninsula, and seek a carrier in Seoul. So, the land is neglected. They need farmers, producers of veggies, fruits, and other foods. The population in the countryside is old, without a young generation for agriculture.
@@judykraska400 these also happens on most countries. the country side are becoming less populated since most new generations are going to main cities and don't want to work on fields, farming and animals..
My buddy who teaches English in Korea says the current generation of working koreans have no means of starting a family. The previous generations set up a system for the current generation to fail. It's just not possible for Korea to survive this without a massive cultural shift.
Exactly and they need to do something about it before their population drops to the point of no return and their society will collapse. Japan is suffering that too. They need to do something before it is too late.
Their working hours are brutal.
It’s the same in a lot of countries. Boomers greed really screwed future generations!
@@IZooNaaaRzt’s the fault of men from the old generation. Women are not at fault for not wanting to birth kids they or the child’s father can’t care for or feed.
I'm American, and read this week someone young BRAGGING that people her age will not buy houses, like baby boomers, it's better to rent. AND, she went on... if they aren't doing well they move back in with their parents,.
Yeah, in the houses their parents bought,
But maybe if there's only one child, or two, the house can remain to be inherited later. Maybe.
When people are focused on surviving themselves, they don't have time to think about dreams, possibilities, and having families.
Problem is they aren't focused on surviving, South Korea is ranked 4th for suicide in the world.
Exactly
Spot on, and this is not a only Korean issue
So true! If you can’t survive yourself then how can you have a family or do anything else?
Facts
Knowing more about korea little by little I really feel sorry for korean youth.
Femenist propaganda has destroyed Korea .
@sepulvedablvd7846 asian people are lost. Because the old generation is sooooooo different from the new one .
@@Pray4Cilley how?
@@Pray4Cilley That makes me so sad.
As a single person in early 30s, this is so on point. I'm not Korean, but living life in today's economy is difficult enough, bringing a child into the equation will be like hell.
Same. Yeah, pretty much the sentiment of our generation.
I have decided not to have kids. Instead, I want to help my nieces and nephew in the future, because I think that the future will be fucked up...
@@velvirek I might go down that path too. I may not have kids but at least I have my nephews. They are like my kids.
Seen people my age during social gathering keep remind me how much a bare minimum a family cost both economically and mentally
For people who brave enough to do it despite how slim their resource is really need to be appreciate
@@ferryalias1547 That was how my late mom was. She was too selfless..
Korea had made great progress in technology, economic, finance in the last few decades. But socially, in my opinion, Korea is still a super traditional and conservative society. I think that should be one of the 1st problem to be tackled. How do you increase birth rates when having a child mean career suicide for a woman ?
To be fair a lot of women and even men are willing to be house wife/husbands lol. Me included and I'm 36. I wasn't always like this tho but if my wife can afford to take care of us financially we could. But we live in a major city in America so it's almost impossible.
the issue is the financial burden of having a child. In South Korea that price is quite expensive especially considering their school fees. Add on to that increasingly expensive rent rates for small homes. families often don't have the luxury to afford a child, let alone on a one person's income.
How do you increase birth rates when women are told they should prioritize careers over family? It's a trick question, you don't. Birth rates declined in the most progressive countries you can think of, so Korea being conservative is not the problem. It's just more pronounced in some countries when combined with the economic issues.
Just want to share my opinion. I dont think the problem is the fact that Korea is a conservative country. I think its the cost of living just like in the US. I feel that based on what he said about how much you have to have to save up for a home its more extreme then America but, i personally love that Korea is a conserative country. God knows i dont want another country like the US. However I do see how being a super conserative Country can put a dent in the Country's progession as a whole. I feel like if Korea losen up just enough and spread that jelly all over the bread instead of consentrated in one spot they will be ok. I just think if they keep to some of the traditions and values that got them to where they are as a country today. They can surely bring back up the birth rate.
Can’t believe a man would say this. Makes me sick. Lol if she can take care of us ??? Lord have mercy what is in the water over there
This episode was FLAWLESS. You communicate everything so well!
The birth rate of 'all' countries, including Korea, is decreasing. However, compared to other countries, Korea's birth rate is dropping more rapidly and severely. The 'Korean problem' causing this is clear. Foreigners who have not lived in Korea may not fully understand how competitive and comparison-oriented Korean culture is, simply by listening to stories on TH-cam.
Korea compares and competes with each other more than any other country's people, beyond what you think and imagine. Because of this, when it comes to getting married, one must have a certain profession, receive a certain salary, possess certain looks and figure, scrutinize the marital family's property, live in a certain area, and reside in a luxurious apartment. Additionally, when giving birth to a child, the child must receive certain social education and attend specific academies, all surrounded by unimaginable standards and norms.
Korean culture involves evaluating each other's worth based on specific standards, and dividing themselves into hierarchies accordingly while constantly observing each other. As a foreigner, you may not fully understand how powerful this culture is unless you have lived in Korea. Even if you have lived in Korea as a foreigner, you cannot fully comprehend it unless you marry a Korean. Even if you marry a Korean, if you have not attended elementary, middle, high school, and university in Korea, you cannot understand it.
I believe that this Korean situation can be named as a "zero-sum game of comparison culture," and I am convinced that Korea will perish because of it.
This is exactly what every middle class Indian experiences. It's as prevalent here in India as it's in SK, only difference is that it has become a way of life for us and not challenged the way South Koreans are beginning to do. With our huge population, it's survival of the fittest out here. The competition extends to workplace as well - if you don't do it, somebody else will be there to take your place.
I agree with you. I don’t fall into many of the categories of people who would understand it, but I still do because of how much I studied Korean culture and my friends and family there. It’s pretty intense and insane in many aspects. The birth rate is declining everywhere because of how expensive it is to raise a child, also the environment and bleak future of the planet. Add on to that Korea extremely competitive culture and yeah it makes sense. Not sure how they are going to solve the issue because Eve the idea of change on that kind of scale is something that many Korean don’t believe in, but I wish them the best.
Goodness gracious and I am even sometimes done with the expectations from my country, how would it be in Korea then.
Korea is so competitive because lack of natural resources and because there's not enough jobs for everyone, so the job market is severely competitive and that's where the pickiness comes from. Once the population subsides a little and there will be lesser job competition, you'll see the nation relax more. Compare USA job culture to other western countries. It's cutthroat in America and the hours are long and fast paced. In the rest of the west the work-home balance is much better and the employees have better mental health.
@@implodingstar1649Not really! Here we can survive well with low level education as well. There is no survival of the fittest here, everyone has a specific place, job and many started promoting local businesses as well.
All your comments are right about India if someone is aiming for an upper middle-class or luxurious lifestyle, but for a middle class we have proper schools, food and other amenities. We don't care about looks while hiring someone for a job, skills matter here.
Only people who are under the poverty line is leading a tough life, but it is also slowly fading away
As a Canadian we rely on immigration to keep our population from dying. With a multi cultural society it also helps break down the one main culture into a more flexible one. It would help change beauty standards, family standards, education standards. But the korean government would have to be welcoming and accommodating to it. People don’t want to move somewhere where they are forced to fit into the korean mold or experience racism. Or yeah like you said they could fix all that other stuff you listed. Immigration is more of a band aid than fixing the real problems.
THIS
legal immigration. Illegal immigration is just cancer. Look at england. Its full of illegal immigrants given asylum and becasue of this the legal skilled immigrants who happen to be brown also face a shit ton of racism.The US and Australia on the other hand promote legal immigration while lowering illegal immigration. Thats why most immigrants in these countries rise to the top
BRAVO AND EXACTLY…couldn’t have said it better👍👏🔥💕
Umm yeah the work policies for international community is absolutely terrible in Korea where it pays less amount for the work they do, than the normal koreans earn and that’s one of the reasons foreigners don’t prefer working there
If foreigners integrate into a society then they will face the same issues the natives are facing, so all you end up doing is postponing the population decline.
Besides Immigration brings a lot of problems with it as well. For example there will be an explosion in crime, a disintigration of societal cohesion leading to a hyper individualistic society and the disintegration of the host countries unique culture(as seen in western Europe).
It only somewhat works in nations like the US and Canada because you have no history, culture or social cohesion to speak of.
I am right now in South Korea visiting and I also read a couple of books on the women condition in South Korea and I feel like you pretty much summarize so well the problem. I could talk a lot about the subject but I will note 2 things.
1. I travelled to Seoul, Busan and Gyeongju and I have to say that I liked Seoul the least. But even so, I kept getting the feeling that the other cities were a bit deserted. Maybe if the government would give incentives to companies who establish in other areas, they would be motivated to expand their business.
2. About the women having to leave their job, better policies should be created. I am from Romania (a much less developed country) and we have an excellent social policy regarding child care. As a woman you get almost full paid child leave for up to 2 years and your employer may not fire you unless a structuring happens in the company. I am sure such policies would help
Romania is another dying country. Nobody wants to know the solution and the problem because the problem is women in the workforce. No amount of paid daycare and paid leave will change the fact that generations of women have been told that motherhood is bad, that career is the most and the only important thing and that they are missing out on life and career if they choose to have kids. So even the ones who do have kids only have 1, maybe 2. In fact, the more women that are in the college system and the more social programs, the faster the birthrate drops. Its even worse, because you have created a system based on women being in the workforce, but then tell them they need to leave the workforce for 2 years and you will take money from strangers to pay for it so the company now is short workers.
All of this instead of just promoting the nuclear family with the mother being focused on family over career so the father takes care of the family instead of every man doing it.
Your social system also encourages the break up of the family unit and a false belief that you dont need men since the government says it will take care of you now.
This madness is killing countries and nobody wants to admit it because it means going back to our biological nature as we evolved and it means restrictions and sacrifices for women, and you sure wont accept that anymore. Better for women to be sluts, party, and crash and burn as the majority of women in first world countries today are on anti depressants and or diagnosed with a mental disorder and it will only get worse and spread to more countries as this break up of the nuclear role based family is pushed by the elite.
@@waltermh111 bro you can always move to more TRADITIONAL countries like Chad, Somalia, Mali, Angola etc. But I don't think that you wanna live in this shitholes, am I right?
Sorry for giving my 2 cents.
I thing it is better to understand how people might thing about parenthood with these points:
- to start a family you need a partner, one that is willing to communicate, understand you and work together with you in order to have that family.
-have a house, a place with enough space, utilities and comfort to start a family
-that requires money. A lot.
-for that you need to have a good job. Not everyone can get that. Many women at work are paid less and have more troubles in the working space (sexism, harassment, are being gaslit, ridiculed and so on.)
-not everyone wants a kid. A kid is a huge responsability financially and emotionally. It is a long term commitment.
-if you don't have a way to ensure a safe space, have a financial plan to raise a child, have a supporting partner that also wants a child then maybe you should not have a child yet.
Many of us women want stability first. Both in work space and romantic relationships. So maybe don't go around thinking that women who don't want to be mothers are just sluts and party. We are more than birthing machines.
Just saying. We are more than allowed to go out, have a social life, have a job and a life outside the job, have a family and an identity outside of the family. If i am in a relationship doesn't mean everything about me revolves around the fact that i am in the said relationships.
To each their own. Everyone is responsable of their own actions, their own plans. But don't assume everyone is the same :)
Motherhood is scary. A bunch of stuff can go wrong during pregnancy and the birthing process. Search some medical possible complications and see for yourself :)
If you were a woman, wouldn't you be scared as well?
@@cupcake_maker yes, totally agree with you. It is sad to still see a lot of men deciding what women should be and what women should do like it’s no big deal because entire generations of women lived like this and men say it was better like that.
I think it’s a generational thing. Millennials don’t feel secure in life financially. The social method of dating is too electronic and a little vain. Me personally is more old fashioned. I like face to face interactions over texting but I’m also socially awkward so I don’t know how that’s gonna work.
We are on the brink of economic collapse and potentially WW3. I don’t want a kid in this.
Most kids were born on the brink of war and collapse. Have your kids if you want them. People have been surviving the worst for millennia.
@@alisonfraser8231 🙄
@JaiJai, I think you have some VERY good points.
I truly hope there will not be WW3. That would be a big nightmare.
@@alisonfraser8231 Just because others survived doesnt mean we have to do the same.
Japan has actually been able to make small improvements in their birthrate. I think one recent policy was to offer couples a free house if they had a second child or something like that. I think they were encouraging people to move away from overcrowded Tokyo, because the cost of housing and the size of the homes available has a direct impact on birthrates.
Korea can only do that if the government stipulates growth of other cities like Busan, Deagu and even a few more. That is how young ppl can be made to stay outside Seoul or flee the area if they are indeed Seoul based.
Free housing cannot be a reality in the larger Seoul area. Businesses need to move out. The government offices need to move out. The lionized Korean entertainment industry need to move out.
@@alantes Why would the entertainment industry local matter? Just lower taxes and the cost of living for families. Give them no-interest loans to buy a house or if they have enough kids, give them a home for free. Also, penalize divorce. Don't make it profitable for people to break up a family as we have done in the USA.
@@keithhoward4069 the entertainment industry and celebs make seoul look extremely glamorous to young ppl. It projects a ridiculously fantastical and unrealistic image of the Seoul area. And it is an industry that generates a lot of money. One of Korea’s most internationally marketable, and profitable, industries in-fact.
It needs to get the fuck out of Seoul. The money it generates could be to the benefit of the local businesses and communities of another city. And those cities can be given an opportunity to develop, invite migration from young workforce.
Besides, certain industries MUST be situated at the capital. No other way. But the golden Korean entertainment industry? Who gives a flying fuck if it is situated in Seoul or Busan?
@@keithhoward4069 Penalize divorce? Lol
Thank you, jesus freak. I hope life is all nice and well in 1600s Russia.
Oh really? I did not know that… I hope that Korea considers that as it may help with their declining population. Also, they should fund more fertility treatments available for those who are struggling to conceive as well.
Yes and growth needs be in other cities besides Seoul. It is never good to have everything based in one city only.
I am married to a Korean, living in Korea, with 2 kids, and I have to stay at home while my husband works, because maternal leave is so short. I cannot trust strangers to take care of my kids at such a small age, when they are not even able to speak and tell me what is going on at daycare. We don't want our kids to go to school here because of the constant stress put on them to study study study for what? Going to SNU? We are planning on leaving Korea soon.
To b d machinery for d global powers. That’s new age enslavement. Third world labor for first world comforts
Seems like lots of pressure to make a living in korea right now
Korea is self-destructing, in other words. They have to balance the prices and revive Busan as soon as possible. The first move is definitely make a city become the second Seoul, which should be Busan. After that, they should slowly try to revive the other cities by adding more universities.
Captialism. Every major western country is experiencing this. Growth isn't unlimited.
@@ttc958 very true , I think more people should be talking about how capitalism has done all of this , capitalism is the root of the problem
@@hannastar very true. While I'm not anti capitalism, it's undeniable the effect it has had on our species as a whole. It seems like low birth rates is a natural consequence of building highly competitive societies.
@@divx1001 more of urban proplem lot of competicion for houses rises prises
@@divx1001 exactlyyyyyy
I think the main problem is the SEOUL part. Here in the Philippines, we had a somewhat similar problem. But it's the other way around. We're waaay too overpopulated, especially in Manila. Metro Manila is like our Seoul. What did we do? We developed other cities down South. Like Cebu in the Visayas region and now Davao in the Mindanao region. Overpopulation is still a problem, but it's not as bad as before. It got even better when the work from home set-up was implemented. So a lot of people who used to live in Manila went back to their hometowns and continued their life there, while having equal opportunity.
Some of SK TH-camrs that stayed in my country were all agreeing that their lives in SK was so hard, thus makes them unhappy. And they really glad coming to my country because we're more laid back and have a lot more opportunity of jobs and business here. I think it's about the mindset, really. But that's even a harder problem to solve because it's so abstract.
I think a lot of millennials and gen z across most cultures and countries are having that same ‘f- it’ mindset. We don’t even think we’ll be able to retire, so living the best life right now is all that matters.
Fax
I'm an older millennial and I did the marriage thing. I prioritized my wife and her family over my own and it still didn't work out. Now she won't even let me see my kid or talk to him on the phone most of the time. So yeah, I'm doing the f-it living right now. Soon heading into my 40s and prioritizing myself and my hobbies and not concerned with finding another partner.
so truee
I'm swedish, a k-entertainment fan and regularly horrofied by what I learn about korean society. I come from one of the most gender equal societies in the world, and we have extensive parental leave and easily affordable childcare, meaning we have essentially no housewives. Not a single person I know had a stay at home mom growing up. That seems like such a nobrainer to me, of course women don't want to have children if it drives them out of the work place and makes them financially dependent on a partner for the rest of their lives. I'd say general access to childcare is a huge part of maintaining birthrates in modern, highly educated societies.
In sweden we also have weak generational bonds, which I think is sort of sad, but it limits the negative impact of demanding inlaws. That probably helps people actually wanting to get married here.
As a bit of a sidenote, I'm a teacher, and I would never allow a child of mine anywhere near the terrifying education system I've been told that you guys have. Making children at large depressed, burnt out and socially and emotionally stunted from lack of rest, play and human interraction is a bad way to encourage people to start families.
From what I can tell, as a woman, getting married or having children seem like a bad life decision in Korea. I get why women there don't do it, I'd rather watch my k-drama boyfriends and live on my own too.
@Wang Lin Sadly you can only do that if you marry someone wealthy which was what one of my former friends did. But sadly not everyone is so lucky. Most need to both work these days in order to survive.
@Wang Lin My mom is a housewife. She has been a housewife since they had their first kid.
@Wang Lin and what are you gonna do when the kids grow up and your husband divorces you? You’re fucked. No career, no money, no future.
I think it's rather sad when kids do not have full time parents. We have low birth rates here in the US too (and degeneracy from single parent households). All we do is work for corporations then have fun on weekends and repeat. There's no purpose in that lifestyle. Family structure has broken down, leading to a "everyone for himself" society where almost no one can afford anything. A strong family support system is the lifeblood to a strong society.
i want to try living in seoul during my early 20s but after that i'm moving to a nordic country lol you guys seem to be doing pretty well in most areas. i'm from portugal and we're basically headed the same way as korea...
It has started in India too. I'm 30 and 70% of my friends are unmarried and they'd rather spend the money on themselves than on a baby. Marriage and kids are still seen as milestones among our parent's generation, but we kids rather get married if we find someone, than find someone to get married.
I am 29 years old living in India and most of my friends are married or having kids. tbh the ones who are living single is by choice cause people will still survive in this economy and we literally overtook china to most post population so some remaining single can somehow benefit us iykyk
@@moonie93 yes you are right it completely doesn't applies to India and I don't think it will completely ever going to apply to India some people in India being single is by choice but it doesn't applies to the whole a lot of people still wants to get married and have kids in India I myself know Indians who got married at the age of 25 and also there are a lot of young couples in India who are growing with each other in their careers.
And also the thing about the parents going to work looking after the child is not a problem in India. in India still there is family culture and also babysitting is not expensive in India like it is in South Korea ...
No no no.... In India people aren't married and having kids 🤣😂😅 you muct be joking😜.
Even on TH-cam you will find kids having their own kids 🤣
By the I believe India is gonna grow more than ever in coming decades.
India has surpassed China in regards of human population, so I don't really buy your story.
You are not an entire country lol.
In my experience, people around your age are all married lol.
Also, living cost in India is still quite cheaper and people give no shit about "working too hard" to the point of chasing perfectionism.
The government needs to look seriously into this issue and make ramyun and chill a government funded program to increase their birth rate. It will be with all korean contestants
💯👏
You mean just Koreans ? Korean dating shows already exists lol
How about getting suicides under control first, Ranked 4th in the world.
I think another factor for the declining birthrate would be because, today, young adults' have the knowledge of whether they are capable of becoming good parents or not. Those who go through rough childhood probably have less desire to have children because they can empathize with the pain that comes with being part of an unstable family and if they are aware of their instability, be it financial wise or health wise, then I highly doubt they would give birth and dump their responsibilities onto their children. Knowledge can be a blessing and a curse, after all.
if we want better people to come out of it, people need to know if they'd be a good parent or not. I know I would not and so I don't have kids and I want to cry when I see so many kids have parents that actually think "Because I said so" and "Don't talk back to me" as acceptable forms of communication. Then they wonder why those same kids get stuck in addiction, drugs or negative behaviors, because they never learned how to communicate. Let alone malignant abusers who really don't see their kids as even human, let alone a person.
Parenting is a job that I think takes a certain personality or training or both. Like a lot of jobs, not everyone has the patience, education or temperament to give that child who deserves everything because they have no choice in whom can or can not give it to them. People use being a parent like martyrdom and any who do that are exactly the types unfit for the role.
I applaud people who genuinely want to be a guardian for another living soul. Who take the time and preparation financially, mentally and physically to ensure that the kid has a really good shot, lives in a decent environment, has access to things they need and want and has a parent or guardian figures who know how to and can teach good communication skills. That's also just bare minimum.
Ones best isn't good enough when it comes to the literal quality and longevity of another life, one in which is usually a choice to take on the responsibility for. I have no sympathy for parents that whine about it when it was entirely their choice and they struggle financially or in any other capacity. I just feel bad for the kids, because they can't choose someone more fit to fulfill the inherently one-sided deal that is being born and being unable to choose anything they get out of it, from genetics to nurture, not a lick of it is choice and both effect way way past childhood.
Oh god i wish nowadays everyone can think like this. Like a decent human being. Know your limit first before boldly jumping into big ocean. You mighy think you can swim in a calm pool, but ocean is another story.
I agree, some schools and businesses need to move to other provinces/cities and they need to focus on building a strong middle class. Also there needs to be books and movies and music produced that shows a happy and healthy family life, where mother-in-laws are not nightmares. Then cultural icons need to live by example and have families. I know idols getting married is such a bad thing to the fandoms but honestly I would love to see all the members of let’s say BTS, go to the military, come home, fall in love, show off their girlfriends and take us on the live adventure and then show us the weddings. I would cherish celebrating their babies and love to see pictures of them all being great dads.
Same 😊💜
Bro when Chen from EXO announced he's got our first EXO princess otw I am just in pure hype thinking we beat SM seniors in getting the first child lmao I'm too happy being an ancient EXO-L there's no way in hell I was ever getting the slightest hint of mad/furious if these idols are fetting married & popping babies left and right cuz lets face it - minis of our idols running around, possibility popping up as the Superman in Return of Superman with cute baby & daddy & pretty uncles around?? SIGN ME TF UP
Omg yes yes and yes!!
It would be a joy to see them as a happy family.
There is something to be said about the culture of the Korean "Idol" they are very much encouraged to not date and focus on career. And they are named as "idols" as they are supposed to be the type of people the younger generations look up to. A culture (kpop culture) that very much pushes aside this idea of a family is very influential to the Korean culture as a whole, and could definitely be having an affect on it. But, just my own thoughts/opinions/theory...
I think one problem could also be that you need to have a university degree to become a respected part of society and to even gain a "normal" paying job. That means everyone is studying at least till their mid-20s before even being able to start up saving enough money to think about a family
Yes it starts early with them going to hagwons as kids so ig it falls on parents to be more lenient and take their mental health into account. If you're always in school then how can you even begin to see yourself as something other than a student expected to get an A+ on everything, you're not even treated like a human.
As a Korean high schooler living in Korea, the core issue to not having kids is that there's simply no way we can AFFORD one. Like you said, we hold very high standards for ourselves and are hyper competitive. It is embedded in our culture that we want our kids to succeed, succeed in the highest levels. If we aren't financially capable of bringing up a child that has access to all the materials available (study related), and have them receive mediocre results in school/jobs, we'd rather not bring them into this world at all. Having children is... considered an investment, in Korea. Something we invest our time and money into. Because that's how our parents raised us. When you invest in something, you need results. The money korean parents throw in for their children is mind blowing, but even if you don't want to be a 'competitive parent' you still need a fuckton of money just for the necessities. To put all that time and effort in, including your 노후자금 (basically the money needed to sustain yourself after retirement), and end up with a child that doesn't earn much money? That's an absolute failure, for both us and them. That's how things are viewed in our society. Also, Korea has become a very self centered society. I come first, my wellbeing comes first, my luxury comes first. There's no logic in sacrificing that to take a gamble in raising a child" , is how our generation views it. As a result (or a cause), there's a widening (emotional) gap between the baby boomer gen. and us. That polarization is actually the number one issue here in korea, in the sense that they don't fucking care about us, but expect- no, demand us to have children. Are you kidding me?
Being overweight, being stressed out due to studying, dating issues, beauty standards... I'll be honest, none of my peers really view these issues the same way western society does. It's very normalized, to a point that...we aren't, actually, stressed out from it. Plastic surgery? Yeah, whatever. That's not a bad thing. Being overweight? It's as simple as thinking "Ugh, I need to lose some weight. I should work out at the gym." And then you do. You joke about it with your friends. It doesn't stress us out. Studying? We're students, of course we need to study. It's for our future, for our livelihoods. No pain, no gain. Again, it doesn't stress us out. We're used to it. Life is fun, enjoyable, as a teenager in south Korea. But is life fun, enjoyable, as a parent in south korea? Are my parents enjoying life? I don't think so. I think they would've led better, more successful lives without me. I don't regret my existence, I love myself, it's not that. Objectively, this is the truth. My parents know this, so they support the younger gen. when we express how we don't want to have children. It's not worth it, not in this country. That's how we view this issue.
Thanks for sharing such a deep point of view!
I mean...It's all fine but you do realise that you won't be young forever? At some point even IVF can't help a person to get pregnant. 50 more years and your nation will simply disappear 'cause you're not even reproducing (not talking about growing in numbers).
Either you need to come up with artificial womb as soon as possible or start accepting much more migrants (so far SK does nothing).
Not much diff in rest of the world, in UK they say that most people who are finishing uni soon won't be able to afford house if they don't have parents who can fund most of it.
@@Guest-iv4qo Yeah, I don't think this mindset is limited to koreans. But people in the UK, despite thinking the same way, still go through the birth and raising of a child. In Korea, that isn't the case. We are dead set on letting our birth rates drop to zero.
I feel like it might also be because the traditional ways of life is slowly dying out. The whole graduate high school, go to college, find a partner, get married, and have kids before the age of 30 pipeline is just something the newer generation doesn’t want to do anymore. In your 20’s and 30’s you’re still so young and have your entire life ahead of you. Not to mention people having to work their ass off just to survive with everything being so expensive. Like you said, kids and marriage is a huge commitment and I have so many things I would want to do and accomplish before I settle down.
Plus, for women, there is the further complication that the prime childbearing years are basically the mid-20's to mid 30's, when anyone who went to college or trade school is going to be knee deep in building their career or a business. It is kind of a cruel joke that a woman who really wants children is often forced to choose between children and career and that middle paths that do exist have their own problems. Some societies provide better support to working moms with affordable childcare, generous family leave and sick day packages, etc. but those all come at a cost. Some mothers grow uncomfortable that the workers at the daycare are more a mother to her child than she is, or realizes that while legally allowed to take certain leaves, that when layoffs come or promotions arise, those who put the company first are more likely to survive or thrive. I wonder sometimes if technology couldn't be helpful in this. If one could create an artificial womb where the mother never carried the baby and did not have to worry about menopause ending any chance to have babies (Assuming she froze her eggs and her partner froze his sperm), the time pressure is off as long as you are still in good enough health by your mid-40's or mid-50's to raise a child. By that age you would be much more financially secure, much more mature emotionally, and likely have reached about the pinnacle of your career, so you aren't clawing your way over everyone else still needing to work 12 hours a day to build your business or to get promoted. Of course, the idea of an artificial womb to gestate one's baby has many moral, ethical, and societal issues. Could a mother be as connected with a baby that never grew inside her? Would society view natural born and ex-utero born babies differently? Would your mother-in-law who had to quit her job to raise your husband shame you constantly for making her granddaughter in a lab because you couldn't be bothered to quit your job? Would churches and political parties resist the concept as an abomination much the way abortion or birth control are sometimes demonized? Would the technology be too tempting to use for immoral purposes like literally growing people to fill jobs nobody wants or to fight wars that no one wants to fight? I don't know what the solution is, I am just sorry that due to biology so much of this gets dumped in women's laps as by their mid-40's they typically can no longer have kids despite still being relatively young when lifespans typically reach into the 80's these days.
Very true and many don’t want to follow the cycle like you said. I wonder about that myself. Plus, having kids is not a guarantee that they will take care of you in old age like many think.
@@kentvesser9484 all these objections are definitely true and worrying. As a mom myself who got her first kid at 29, her second at 34, I gotta say that I don't subscribe to parents getting older. Yeah we live longer in general, but we still start to age physically around 25. And older parents also simply act older. Yes, you are more mature, but also less risk friendly. Many kids are way too pampered by their older parents. We clearly saw that in kindergarten, where the older parents were the more causious ones, often limiting their kids. The older you get, the less flexible you usually get. Also the later you get them, the later they leave the house. I often wish I got my kids earlier. E.x. when my ex divorced me, I was 40. Starting to date again at that age, while still having smaller kids, but also not willing to get more kids with a new partner, nearly impossible. At 35 that would have been another story. I will also be 50 in two years, and by then one of my kids is still not 18. At some point you are of a maturity that just want's the peace of mind, not caring about kids stuff, but just your own, as especially health issues show up, and menopause and still kids just isn't the ream deal tbh.
@@dagmarbubolz7999 Yes, it is a catch-22. Biologically we are better off having children younger, but society has developed in a direction where that is its own set of problems. At some point in countries with very low birth rates there is probably a pendulum swing back regarding birth rates as people truly feel the economic and social bite of a shrinking population, but that will likely be decades after the problem first became visible. For instance kids born in the next 10 to 15 years may feel their empty classrooms or see family branches just die off and adopt a different attitude towards children being less of a burden, but that might also come because of societal changes forced by the declining birthrate making kids more affordable. For instance a decades long drop in population will correct housing prices as apartments and homes go empty once the current occupant dies. A declining population may also give workers more leverage with wages. However, that declining population will likely also result in many business failures due to a lack of workers or lack of consumer demand. Sadly, it is a very complex problem that requires solutions that probably take decades to bear fruit and politicians and citizens usually don't have the patience for such long solutions.
@@kentvesser9484 you made very good points! For now, many are just trying to survive so having even one child is a luxury. But as the population gets smaller and smaller that is when the governments will try even harder to do everything to get people to have kids, lower housing costs and so many other things. But then again, money is just one of the things as there is more to having and raising kids than just money. However, money is one of the main things that you need to raise a child.
Cuz it takes like 50 episodes till the K-drama actors kiss. In American romance drama we meeting and bagging and have 50 kids by episode 2
That’s why I like kdramas though 😂
I’ll get bored quick if I have to wait for 50 episodes till before a kiss 🥱🏃🏾♀️😂😂
That is why American programmes are all so predictable and boring. Nothing better than looooong drawn out sexual tension
@@Sugatassi exactly
The comment is lit🤣
Loved your presentation of Korea, as a westerner we only see the good. Although in most kdramas there is what we see the conservative way of life, the culture. Life looks pretty hard and harsh there. So I can basically see and understand what you're saying. Wow.. really makes one think twice about life in Korea. Thanks for sharing.
*Tries to explain Korea's problems* (Accidentally tackles so many of world's problems, especially money problem and gender conflict problem which is present almost everywhere)
Great video! Explains so much so well!👏
The root cause of money problem and gender conflict problem in almost everywhere is the stupid feminism bullshit movement and political party that take advantage of it.
All countries have these problems but they face them differently because of the cultures they have.
Its weird that now the women have the most rights it seems like the gender problem gets worse
No Korea is different. I feel so sorry for Korean women. It is a very s3xist society plus a very workaholic one too. Women who marry are supposed to put up with a lot of abuze and domestic labor from the husband and in laws (I mean even cooking one good Korean meal with 'n' number of side dishes seems to be a lot of work). Plus the brutal working hours, after work drinking parties and socialization seems hor*rible too. I recently read that there is a lot of s3xual har*rasment and s3xual crimes in Korea too. Some of the online chat rooms d2*gener*te males engaged in and also hide*den cameras even in public rest rooms seemed hor*rible too.
@@Kenin2000 It hasnt gotten worse. It was always like this but now women have the choice not to participate which is why birth rates are low. Korea has women's movements like 4B (no to dating, no to s3x, no to marriage, no to child bearing and rearing).
THIS is the kind of content I have always appreciated from DKDKTV. David - you did a really good job breaking down a huge problem with data, perspective, and humor in a way that foreigners can understand. And I agree with your video title: for those of us who love Korean content (entertainment or otherwise), we should put that in context with what is actually happening IN Korea.
As for perspectives from other countries, it's difficult to even consider suggestions as an American. Not only are we a much larger country, but our structure of government creates multiple layers of legislative impact (federal, state, county, city, etc.) That said, I have seen a positive impact from two strategies: tax incentives for businesses and practical support for families (subsidized housing, food assistance, quality child care, and maternity/paternity leave).
I hope someone nice slides into your DMs. ; )
I’m not disagreeing with your comment, but as a World War II era American I would like to point out that the listing you have for our government structure is the exact opposite as laid out in the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution.
The order the Founders put together in creating our Republic was God (who gives us inalienable rights that cannot be removed by any human being), the individual, the individual then in turn delegates to the state certain rights to which those who are delegated those rights are accountable to the individual; the collective states then delegate some of that power to the federal government but the federal government is accountable to the states and to the people, making the individual the boss and us a nation of, “We the people.” 😉
You’re on point!
South Korea is highly highly competitive, hopefully the status/standards are changing, slowly but for the better.
Femenist propaganda has destroyed Korea .
South Korea and Japan seem to be in the same boat. They know what their problems are and adequate solutions have been proposed, but there doesn't seem to be any political will to fix them.
The biggest and best solutions would be to increase wages, lower housing prices, decrease working hours and decentralize various industries from Seoul. Is there anyone in the Korean government willing to take on the chaebols and other corporations to make this happen? I'm not Korean, so I don't know the answer to that, but that is what it would take.
As for the gender conflict? You can't legislate hearts and minds, but if the people's basic materials needs were met (higher wages, decreased working hours, affordable housing), then you'd have less fighting and maybe more productive discussion about how the patriarchy hurts EVERYONE in Korean society.
Everyone is selfish. Even my university was offered a free move to a larger campus outside Seoul, but none of the professors wanted to move so they all voted against it. I would imagine it would be the same for any established and well-recognised university. People know what should be done but no one wants to make the sacrifices because they've worked so hard to be in the current position they're in. One of our previous presidents wanted to move the capital but all the people in Seoul got really angry at him for even suggesting it.
@@shastablue221 Exactly and that is one of the main problems right there. Many are just too selfish.
I was watching a documentary about Korean economic miracle. And it was said that after the civil war the government decided to support and give almost limitless power to chaebols' families. It happened, coz the government saw the potential in their companies and businesses. They were allowed not to pay taxes or pay less than others. I believe that these companies and their heads are still very privellaged nowadays. They care only about their personal wealth.
They wouldn't want to change patriarchy in Korea. I saw an interview from Asian Boss for Korea and men were already saying it's unfair for them because women have more privileges like they don't pay on dates 😂 which is not always true or they have separate cab on trains (not knowing it's due to men's sexual harassment) and many more. So I don't see them changing their system anytime soon. Same with Japan, women have lesser rights there. Seems both countries who have these type of problems both have difficulty enforcing equity laws for men and women.
In Japan's countryside municipalities renovate houses with no owner (they all died) and give them for free to families that want to come there.
In Italy we hear about villages disappearing (only old people are there until they all die, or have to move because there's no services), and also about people becoming multi-owners of a lot of properties as they inherit them from a pool of dying grand-parents with few children and grand-children.
I don't know how it will evolve. At one point it should lower the cost of living to have so much habitations available ? More space to build families ?
Those graphs made my blood boil and I'm not even in Korea lol. They want to complain about birth and marriage rates but make it damn IMPOSSIBLE for anyone to afford having a child, buy a home, marriage is not appealing anymore cause there is no real benefit, only liability.
Yeah not only that food is expensive now too
Exactly and they wonder why people don’t want to marry and have kids.
A child can be raised in the woods. Our ancestors were raising them in caves and in forests. Yeah just saying that's a poor excuse. Just say you don't want to have kids because you care about yourself more and that's fine.
@@bizznick444joe7 a cave piont is ancestor we are modern human beings neanderthal Logic or Caveman dont apply even if some human tribes to this day rebuke Technology is too save their culture tradition and tribe language
@@bizznick444joe7 some live indeed in Nature without modern stuff
I was into kpop even before it was trending. I got into kpop way back in 1995-96. I was listening to PANIC and SES and in 1998-2000 I forgot the
exact year but found out about a local south korean band Patch Pocket and they were so cool and South Korea was slowly opening up to the idea
to have a similar music created like how it happens across other nations grass roots and so I think it was SM Entertainment decided to have a live
grass roots kpop/rock live TV show on local bands and one of the bands got on stage and the lead singer dropped his pants and started
swinging it around and they were slow on editing it out and thus ending the grass roots effort to have bands make it on their own and laws passed and now
today any and all bands are now only tryouts by the entertainment industry only. BOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Funny but sad.
What would help A LOT in my opinion: Childcare for free or just for a small fee (like "Kindergarten" in Germany), a place where you can bring your child while you can go to work. A place that offers not only taking care of your child(s), but also a place that helps them socialize with other kids, early education (on a playful level, Not on a competetive or stressfull level) and gives them space for creativity and play.
@Natali POland nope, my kid's kindergarten is expensive
Some places refer to kindergarten as daycare, not part of the school system as it is in North America.
If they want families, society has to change the way it views its women. The way it pays them, the abuse of time encroachment after 5 pm and on weekend, this forcing of going to drink after work instead of going home to your family is crazy too, and provide close to free daycare until 6 pm. Respect after maternity leave so women can go back to work. The government should give money per child you have. But I agree, the education system in Korea is abusive with study halls until 11 pm and super competitiveness with marks and the right University only to get a sub-par job. I don’t blame you for wanting a different life for your future kids. Don’t forget the exorbitant deposits for your homes. It’s getting that way here in Canada as well. I’m thinking it’s better to get an apartment and put the rest in investments, you just can’t allow others to shame you for making that choice for yourself. But if K-Dramas are any indication, your kids don’t live. Depression in Korea is at an all time high. Was life the same for your parents going to school?
@@serendipity6277 I am totally with you on that! But what I read lately was: The conservative government now wants young women to work more overtime, increase their working hours up to 69 hours, which they can then reduce during "maternity leave".
... That's totally the wrong signal imo.
@@FilouKawasaki and they still asked women to have kids?! What a stupid. I hope korean women go exodus then.
Same thing is happening in Spain. 😅 I'm 37, childless and my boyfriend of 10 years just died 2 months ago. I really don't see it easy for me to find someone else, and at 37 I'm already very tired to have a baby. Add the cost of living, housing problems job insecurity and low income. And there are way too many women and men going through similar situations.
Sorry for your loss.
@@lamore87 thanks a lot.
Same Here....and in CANARIAS....imagine..
I hope you're doing better🫂. I'm so sorry to hear that.
That's why I will never listen to anyone who says I have a boyfriend for more than seven years because you know why unfortunately there is no stability in that.
In Korea, most people in their 40s and 30s literally have no kids and are not even married. Not to even talk of parent-less divorced adults. I feel bad sometimes for those in the entertainment industry (actors, actresses, models, backup dancers, Girl/Boy groups) cos they keep chasing money, continue enduring the stress society has to offer then end up committing suicide in the end
Femenist propaganda has destroyed Korea .
Serves them right BECAUSE MANY OF THEM ARE RACISTS! They have sooooo high standards among themselves they think they are better than other countries. I predict the next thing that will fail in their country is their electronics industry.
I'm 20, people my age just don't want to have kids anymore. We are over worked, underpaid, don't know what to do with ourself. This is a gobal problem, but because korea is smaller than most countries its more visible to notice.
You are so young but yet think that.. This is a world wide problem. Many are just focusing on survival now.
Feel so sorry for Korean women. It is a very s3xist society plus a very workaholic one too. Women who marry are supposed to put up with a lot of abuze and domestic labor from the husband and in laws (I mean even cooking one good Korean meal with 'n' number of side dishes seems to be a lot of work). Plus the brutal working hours, after work drinking parties and socialization seems hor*rible too. I recently read that there is a lot of s3xual har*rasment and s3xual crimes in Korea too. Some of the online chat rooms d2*gener*te males engaged in and also hide*den cameras even in public rest rooms seemed hor*rible too.
But in other states like japan are germany, it's the same - less babys.
I m 20 too , n I don't want kids , I m studying my ass off n want to live my life for myself when I get where I wanna reach, but it's very cultural n necessary thing in India to have a child , you in laws n parents need u to have child no matter what
@@krishafymedon't give them a damn sh*t girl, if you earn on your own then no way you need to change your life decisions for your parents & all. Also I'm an 17 yr Indian girl too & I have no plans to get married EVER cuz indian men are such poor quality that they aren't worth it, they were never actually, our past generation men were just lucky that the women weren't allowed to stay unmarried or take their own decisions. I just love a girl & has only plans to settle with her, if she rejected me I'm not getting married (well she don't like men as well but she's just afraid of the stigma of being with a girl, she's a bit conservative). Umm if you don't mind, can you give me suggestions to convince her?? 😢
Korea should think about moving the government out of Seoul. That might help distribute the economic wealth and demographics to other parts of the country and fix a bit of the housing crisis. Some countries avoid having their capitals in the biggest cities. See the USA, Canada and Australia, for example. Most states in the US have their governments in smaller, regional cities. Decentralization might be a start for Korea as David is suggesting.
We tried. And failed. This damned country UGH
In India marriage is not a 'choice'. Arranged marriages are VERY COMMON here. So even if you don't have a boyfriend or girlfriend, you don't have to worry because your parents will find a girl/boy for you no matter what( let me remind you that this is true for more than half of our population. Some people have a choice and they can also go for a love marriage but it's not true for everyone).
Nobody asked abt india tho
@@Ipromiseyounobodyismad nobody asked you too. The internet is accessible to all, so you have the choice of writing your thoughts on this platform as well as ignoring the ones you don't agree with. You could've done that too🤷♀️
@indiainsights I live in the capital. Anyways, whether love marriages are common or not depends on our experiences. I do not live in a village but still I have seen people confining themselves within the boundaries of caste and religion. Love marriages are still not seen in a positive light and that is what shaped my opinions about love marriage. I'm sure that it might be a different case for you as you have different experiences than me.
Lately, that is changing drastically.
@@Ipromiseyounobodyismad15:12 oh not to be a clown like you... is it too hard?
I am an Indian and I would like to point out the following reasons why we don't have these problems despite having to face several other factors-
1. India is a diverse country. We have tons of major cities like Bangalore, hydrabad, Mumbai, Chennai, kolkata each having their fare share of industries and institutions. For eg, i like in Kolkata which has some of the best colleges in the country, my friends in IT lives in hydrabad and Bombay, my cousins in entertainment industries live in Mumbai, students who study for competitive exams live in Kota. However, there exists a constant shift of rural population to urban cities but we also need to consider despite having tons of tech companies our country is mainly an agricultural one- so people do active farming and is not looked down upon coz farmers in Punjab and Haryana actually earn lot more and any average small company employee.
2. The cost of living is very low. Though there is obvious disparity in different cities. One person can live comfortably with 400USD/month in Kolkata while to live comfortably in Mumbai you need to earn a min of 1000USD. It involves rent of an apartment, food, and entertainment+ some saving. Now parents are huge support system specially in the upper and upper middle class- so one does not need to worry about buying a house as living with one's parents after marriage are actually normal also helping the fact that the grandparents look after the child. Both my parents are working so i was practically raised by my grandma from aged 10-18.
3. The people have deep faith and religious belief irrespective of their economic status and class. Many of them give back society and are philanthropic, so there are tons of students being funded to school and colleges of they have merit. Even the government provides tons of scholarships to economically disabled students. The downside of the faith and family oriented society. is that the gender discrimination, and this leads to a person have 3 to 4 girls before finally giving birth to a boy. Indian society is also male dominated and the man is expected to pay for most of the things. Bt the thing is the new generation believe in equal contribution or whatever contribution is required for a better FAMILY LIFE. It's family as a whole that matters rather than individual needs. So there are also incidences where the woman is the sole breadearner.
There are many other factors too bt my fingers are aching at this point
Exactly, I'm from your neighboring city Howrah, and I agree with your point. Even though our economic development is not absolutely perfect, at least it doesn't solely focus on growing the cities only. Also, in our daily lives, we see women who are the bread earner nowadays and also it has stopped being a great deal. It is more of our culture that thinks of the family's priority first and then individually. Just like in Korea, both men and women work here for living well, but still while doing so, if they are committed they think of growing a family after enjoying alone for some time.
right now india is still very young but at some point it will reach there maturity level in this mid century if you know india birthrate is already at replacement point (2.1). either way a society that can handle a more divers and multicultural ethnicity has no problem adapting to our new and more connected world.
Yea I makes sense. I was wondering why it works for India but this comment makes sense.
Though also just to add, (this is a personal opinion based on my experience and the people I know around me), there might people who are not interested in getting married etc. (like me) but that is such a minority that it doesn't even matter. Also many of such people do end up getting married due to societal or family pressure or lack of choice. Like I am holding out till now since my parents are being understanding, but I feel it's inevitable that they might get me married one day lol. I know I won't bring up the topic but yea lol. And I do know people who are in their mid-30s and still single but that's such a minority. (no offense)
They also have a lot of brothels.
Gud 4 u
Fantastic summary as told by an actual representative of the affected demographic. 👏 best of luck, Koreans. Then again, problem seems to be everywhere so, good luck to all of us.
I'm an American living and working in Korea, and I think you really got to the root of a lot of these current issues... I think there needs to be a whole mindset change here, too. Where I'm from in the US, there are no big companies, so work in farming or manufacturing are perfectly acceptable and respected aspirations for anyone who wants to keep living in the area. Sure, going to the city and getting an education is a big thing too, but you aren't a failure if you want to go be a farmer or work on the manufacturing line at the nearby car plant. In fact, those people can end up making a lot more money than someone with a "fancy education" in my hometown.
Also... as far as bringing in more foreigners... I'm all for it, as a foreigner living here myself, but if Korea is serious about it, they need to seriously consider what kind of benefits and protections they set up for foreigners coming here. Most of the routes you can take to live here long term as a foreigner, especially if you come here for marriage are setting you up for a life of purely being at the whims of your Korean partner, with little to no rights yourself outside of the marriage... To me it seems like a recipe for disaster. We see a lot on the internet about hot, young westerners dating cool, young Koreans, but there is a darkside to foreign partners (especially wives brought in from southeast Asian countries) where the women are left with no say in their lives, no power to leave their partners, and well.. you can see how this would be bad. So Korea, please, if you are trying to import more foreigners, do it in a sustainable, humane way that can help everyone involved.
Immigration is just putting a patch over a larger problem.(not xenophobic I’m an immigrant to the country where I reside) Korea needs to improve the financial and mental quality of life for their youth. I also think Korea needs to decentralize for Seoul having only 1 area with opportunity is just unsustainable.
The percentage is diminutive.
To be honest, something similar is happening here in Belgium. I have the feeling that capitalism as a system is really starting to fail. I have no idea what the solution to that is either. But things are getting really bad financially. I'm always afraid to ultimately end up on the street with nothing. It's been disastrous for my mental health which I really struggle with. I'm 32 and can't even think about a partner or a child because I'm so busy just trying to keep my head above water.
It is not just you but I and many others are on the same boat. I am in my 40s and still single with no kids. I am just trying to survive so marriage and kids are the last things on my mind. I just hope I can find someone down the line and have just one child then I am happy enough. However, I wonder if that is even possible as life is so hard now.
@@TrinhNguyen-sh4fj even here in USA matured men not interested to marry because of not being financially stable they are still living with their parents….And they consider marriage as a liability due to high cost of living …
@@faithdino4428 I live in the US so know it all too well. I have 3 brothers who are married, one wants to be single and 2 who are financially stable but are scared to marry and have kids. They are afraid to marry the wrong person and lose their hard earned money and all that.
@@aquastar7990 China is semi capitalism & communism, they produce many millionaires every year although the CCP holds the most control of almost everything.
I've been living here in Korea for over five years, and compared to the U.S., it's like the basic human nature of genuine care for others is almost nonexistent - AND they take things to the EXTREME.
Working is extreme.
Bullying is extreme.
Looks is extreme.
Carelessness for others is extreme.
Drinking is extreme.
Emotions is extreme.
Control is extreme.
Judging is extreme.
Lack of sexual control is extreme.
Disrespect for anyone with a natural tan to dark skin is extreme.
Etc., etc., etc.
Don't get me wrong, there are lots great things as well here, but the society pressure is an overwhelming giant red flag for the country.
Especially when you're a foreigner, AND a women. Get ready to know what overt sexism on display looks like, because the gender roles part for the men is weak and not even worth negotiating as the ones who complain that they are "gIvEn An AlLoWaNcE", "CaN't BuY a DrOnE", cAn'T bUy A gAmInG pC", "hAvE tO gIvE hAlF oF wHaT tHeY oWn" are the BROKE and LAZY bums that could never AFFORD a family to begin with that use heavy filters on their online profile pictures.
Even their passport photos are manipulated. Here in Malta passport photos can only be taken at the passport office. If the photo came bad, it will remain bad.
So extreme. If you don't like, it means you hate. No middle ground, no moderation.
Surgeries are extreme. They created a superficial, shallow society
@@g2000g "YoU hAvE fIlTeRs On YoUr PhOtO tOo"
And your point is?
I noticed it too in korean society grom my journey to kpop 15 yeats ago
I’m married to an adopted Korean. I live outside Seattle. We have a huge Korean population. I know tons of Korean Women that complain about their mother-in-law’s, and their husbands that don’t really do much. Even if you moved to the US, you still have these cultural problems. I agree probably not to that extent if they were still in Korea. I actually do follow a lot of the interracial couple TH-camrs. Partly, because we’re an interracial couple. But a lot of the TH-camr couples I follow aren’t having kids either. I’m not gonna lie if you want to find an American girl just follow a Korean mommy group. Believe, me the women will hook you up. They love matchmaking. Cheers, I hope it gets better.
Of course because the root cause of both Korea and America's problem is stupid feminism bullshit based ideology and government/corporate policy.
But america have more serious problems like gun-violence and school shooting.Homelessness and drug-abuse also everwhere in america.
@@equal5505 Because of all the same reasons. They're struggling to survive. So they rob for their money, kill, steal, etc to get by. Drug abuse is because they're trying to escape reality. It becomes a vicious cycle.
Korea is so advanced in many many ways, but they lack the give a f*ck attitude. I'm from a Latin American country, the third world, and we have a positive mindset very imprinted in our society. Generally speaking, our education is not at the level of Korea, but we have enough free time to have hobbies, make friends, etc. If we go to a good university, we think is very important to make friends because they can be future partners. Koreans are used to a very fast pace, but we are used to taking our time. They have beauty standards that go against their natural features, they get criticized if they don't have expensive things, their dates are like job interviews, the poor kids study more than 12 hours a day and they don't go out, people consider you "lazy" if you are a little overweight and that even makes you not be accepted for a job... I mean, I can continue but I think it's pretty obvious that they have a suffocating society with VERY high standards. They really need a change in the mentality of their society.
Reading it summed up like this makes me go pale...
Even though I'm no expert that's what I've gathered too
I love their culture but they lead rather unhealthy lifestyles
U just wrote my thoughts!! I think this also true for countries like india and Nepal etc.
(Even though india(we) really needs to control the population, its
way too high )
It’s easy to judge a whole country on the surface but it’s not that simple. making a wage is what is affecting many people to not have kids. It’s the main core of it all.
Very well said
You have summed it up so well. I come from Pakistan, a literal third world country. And don't get me wrong, we have our own set of problems here. But if you just look past the surface, Pakistan is a generally happy society. The people are relaxed, laid back, and generally optimistic. And making it big isn't that hard once you get your foot in, despite the crippling poverty and inflation.
I do also think that some ideological differences definitely come into play that definitely keep the people's morale high.
But you are very apt with the fact that everything seems extremely manufactured and transactional in Korea.
Breaking the family and friend traditional structure (marriage, friendships, bonds) might a short-term financial solution. But it is also a long-term ticket to loneliness and unhapiness.
There's so much to say. The fast development, more and more people "enjoying" the "luxuries" of consumerism, being workaholics where the preparation for crazy competition starts in schools, suicidal teenagers due to societal pressures, the impossibility to buy your own flat, all the age-hierarchy. There is room to improve.
Hi David, thank you for highlighting the current issues in Korea (Real talk!😳) It's so sad (although every country has its own crisis/issues to one extent or the other🙄). Geographically South Korea is such a beautiful, blessed country with such amazing landscape, all four seasons, the breathtakingly stunning cherry blossom season, delicious cuisine, many great talented ppl, some respectful traditions, family morals/principles, beautiful ppl, respect for the elders etc. Me and my family have been taken in by the "Halliyu" wave love watching K-Dramas, great OST's, K-Pop (BTS). Some of their deep meaningful lyrics really helped us heal through a very difficult time 0:02 Your video is spot on and does highlight the current crisis. I pray that the Korean government/Society is able to move forward in a healthy positive way to help overcome the problems ppl/youth are facing and can progress over the next few years God Willing🤲🙏Wishing you all the very best with your excellent, informative, educational content and may you have a happy, blessed future. Keep up the great work👍 🤗
David, I'm LOVING the 2023 YOU! You are a truth teller with wisdom. You don't talk reckless and waste your words. I'm glad you posted this to share the challenges in South Korea. It's people like you that can help bring awareness.
India in comparison to Korea is a bigger country in terms of size. I think the low birth rate faces in Korea can be found in bigger Indian cities where higher percentage of women make substantial number of the respective cities workforce.
Also in India the mentality of continuing a bloodline is very strongly communicated to the younger generation and the families usually chip in to look after the grandchildren while the parents are away working.
I honestly do not blame these younger generations being wary of having children. I am on the same boat. For me it is not the financial issue but more of social issues that is stopping me from wanting to have a child. There are just too much negativity in this dangerous world. I am not a happy person so it will be very selfish of me to bring a new life into this world just because my family wants me to.
❤❤❤
India has below replacement fertility now, your population will start to decline in the coming decades.
I can't agree more. People in cities are revaluating their value systems and their priorities (esp the privileged few who can) and are pushing childbirth to later in their life, but we also need to remember female foeticide is still a very prevalent issue in India and it is skewing the population drastically and causing other social problems. So, even if birth rate is high, imo it's a false positive. Wish we can make life more sustainable and really utilize remote work and develop local economies and bring social change.
@@sparklystuff8741 female foeticide is crime in india. The sex ratio is improved from pervious years
@@aiswaryabersan7983 yes it's has improved but it's not equal right? So it's still a legitimate concern imo
Bro- you're an open minded Korean. And i like that about you- and my country INDIA. EVEN with its own problems - I LOVE MY COUNTRY MORE THAN ANYTHING 😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌
what a great video. i really never understood why other cities are not as built up. Korea as a whole is not a huge country. To invest in other cities makes more sense. But also someone does need to slip into David's DM's. His multicultural babies would be so cute.
It's depressing all around. Finding a good, stable job is just as hard as finding a relationship now. I'm one of 5 kids. The oldest is 37 and none of us are married. One is a doctor and still fighting to pay off school loans. It sucks. Just hoping after graduate school I can make enough to finally move out on my own 🥴
You just too femenist that's why .
May I ask your age range? I’m in my early 40s and I’m still paying off student loans as well.
@@merrytunes8697 you are in your 40s you are done !
Good explanation...
Welcome to Malaysia
This just reminds me when I was in seoul last year studying abroad and me and my friends took a trip to Busan and Gwangju. Although Busan had younger people there, it wasn’t as compared to Seoul and for Gwangju, it almost felt asif there weren’t many people living there. It was soooo quiet and most of the people present there were the elderly and many stores were closed etc..
Having studied in Korea and Europe, I would put social gender roles/sexism on place 1 or 2... I heard female korean friends saying they are too anxious about gaining weight in a pregnancy due to the unattainable beauty standards. Plus the traditional socially enshrined idea that mothers have to sacrifice everything for their family, also professionally and physically (including profession, independence, free time etc.)
THIS. THIS IS THE REAL ANSWER. too much patriachal stressors on women, so thats it. no more babies from us.
Big Massive lie poor dirty canturiss Sucaid more more
Interesting. So much to think about. Well packed video. Unfortunately, I can only think that Korea needs to keep producing more high quality K-Dramas about how everything will be ok. Actually, I think you kind of nailed it for the most part. Many of these problems are fairly universal. With everything you have mentioned, I'm sure there are other factors. For example, global economic influences, what NK does, and ... now maybe chatgpt (!?). Of course I should add that I am an American who's knowledge of Korea comes 60% from watching K-dramas. 🐧
The same is happening in Portugal, mostly about the money situation. The birth rate is low and the minimum wage isn't enough to live anywhere so on top of fewer children we also have a huge emigration problem where a lot of young adults are leaving the country.
Olá Inês
Also, until major infrastructure, administration and major companies are shifting to other cities, companies and universities can also switch their employees and students to work from home or study from home. Like if you do not need to attend offline, you can settle anywhere (other than Seoul) have a comfortable life and a family while working in a good company or studying in a top university. This in my opinion can be one of the many solutions as David discussed.
Hi David! Thank you for this very interesting video. I live in France, where we have no problem with birth rate, even if it tends to decline too.. I think the reason is the government social protection for health, unemployment, pensions, and family welfare. Moreover life in regions is fair and even if Paris is THE place to be for jobs, big cities offer a large offer with lower rents. As for small cities, for me it’s heaven…
So… come to France: people are always moaning but it’ s just a way of being and in regions they are welcoming (except perhaps in too much touristic areas 🤔)
I remember Jungkook’s words when asked what he reminded from french language: « Y’en a marre! » (I’m fed up!) and « saucisson » 😂
this was very insightful wow, but current generation is literally thinking same everywhere in India too that its better to not marry but as usual we give in to our parents wishes and get married lol
do people in your life accept the financial inequality because of the caste system being a part of ancient indian culture? please excuse my possible ignorance
@@niteshade2271 caste system has to do ntg with financial inequalities n nowdays people in cities or urban areas dont care much about caste
India is the 2nd largest population in the world I think they can afford to not want kids 😊 the population there is steadily increasing so no worries
@@niteshade2271 : you should check out who is Indias present and past president was. This "caste system " doesn't exist in India in the form like several centuries ago. It's name only.
You did a phenomenal job on the video David, hope it gets lots of views.
You are loved in the Caribbean, mixed is the way to go. Yeh Ramein and chill was dope.
As wealth becomes increasingly concentrated among a small portion of the population, it becomes challenging for the average person to afford the cost of living, such as housing and childcare expenses. Currently, wealth inequality in Korea is at its highest point. Addressing these concerns will require a multifaceted approach that involves implementing policies aimed at reducing income inequality, promoting work-life balance, welcoming immigrants, and facilitating their integration into Korean society. Policies must address both the economic and social factors that contribute to this issue.
I must agree with you. I experienced living in South Korea and the first thing I noticed was the too much of everything. From a costly house, a too high renting fee, commodities prices, discrimination at work from color of the race to educational attainment. SoKor as it seems becoming more expensive than Japan where I also been an expat for so many years. The arrogance of many Koreans in Korea is also one factor why the country starts to suffer. There's a lot of difference from Koreans working and living in other Asian countries.
ARROGANCE can be anywhere but so sad that some people are just too much :(
Been saying all this for years...glad you are saying it to large audience!!
I enjoy content like this. I would appreciate more vids on Korean societal problems and phenomenon. 영상 잘 봤어요. david님 파이팅!
i feel blessed even if i belong in a 3rd world country, a small city in a province, coz little by little it is developing and almost all towns in our province are becoming cities which means we don't have to get out of our small cities to get a good job and be able to live a decent life. I think the problem is because of materialism, people would rather want to spend on themselves instead of having a family and not looking at the long term effect. One key is being content of simple life, i mean who doesn't want a grandiose life, but not all can't have it let's accept and the solution is being content, life-work balance, because even if you are someone who has what other people don't have, you may still feel empty and sad if there's no contentment and balance. I hope i am making sense 🤧 sorry for my english just saying my train of thoughts, korea is one of my fave country and a dream destination so i'm hoping for the best in the future🙏🏻
I don’t think the problem is materialism but is jobs that refuse to pay workers what they are worth and high costs of living. Having a family is not financially possible for many, whether it be in South Korea, the USA or elsewhere.
Having a child is and should be a big responsibility. If you can’t take good care of that child, especially financially then what’s the point of having them? People shouldn’t give birth to children they can’t take full responsibility of. So it’s not good to have the mindset “let’s just give birth to children” if u don’t have enough & make the child suffer.
Korea is overrated . I went to Jeju in March and I was very dissapointed .
You would hate it if you come. It is one of the most racist countries. They look down on many Asians especially those with dark skin. You will be looked down there. Good luck lol.
Poland is struggling with the same problems. However, fortunately, we do not have such pressure in schools and such competition. Children and teenagers in Poland are happier
글을읽는 학생들은 있습니까? 여전히 글자도 못쓰는 학생을 보고 충격받은게 한두번아니야
In Poland, birth rate - although not being enough - it's still much higher than in South Korea. I think that for Poland in 2023 it was 1,467 births per woman.
Hi David , Even though India's population is growing & is becoming fastest growing economy in the world but India also have similar problems . I think It all comes down to human rights , financial equality , societal mindset, gender equality & good human laws. I believe if government work to implement good policies & society change their old fasion mindset to modern mindset then why would people refuse to get married & live a happy life & why not have a baby on the way .
Agreed bhau
This problems exsist every country
Comparison is the thief of joy. I’m so sorry to hear about the struggles of Korea. Hopefully y’all will find some solutions and resolutions to these challenges and turn this situation around. Good Luck 👍🏽
i dont know why but in Indonesia nowaday Indonesian Korean Couple/Marriage is pretty common especially in Big City like Jakarta, Bandung, and Surabaya. turst me its pretty common comparing to other Indonesian Couple/Mariage with non Indonesian like China/Japan.
In Germany we have been dealing with this issue as well. Our main concern is our pension. As the population ages and fewer people are born to pay into our pension system, our retirement ages continue to rise. It is currently 67 years for Generation x. Later generation will have it much worse.
I absolutely LOVED this raw opinion piece! Go David! Loved the tone of it, the editing and your honest take on it. Please do more of these. It suits you well!
I'm from India people in India work and enjoy holidays like weekend festivals so they can spend time with family but here in Korea it's good that people focus only on work. But one should take time to give time to one's life and family also, the government there should give holidays, this was my opinion.
Yeaaaah after spending 6 months in Korea I realised a bunch of this myself and honestly despite how unbelievably hyped I was to live here before coming, I do see now that it's a no no. Not blaming anyone but these social problems just make for too much anxiety about the future
Great video! S.K was #1 on luxury spending in 2022 beat U.S and China which is crazy bases on the size. The society of need to keep up from look, outfit, school, car, and etc. It built up lots of debts. It's another reason why many can't afford having kid bec the extra cost.
That is one of the main problems right there. Many are just too into the latest trends and living luxuriously instead of just a simple lifestyle. If people just live a more humble life then 1-2 kids would be doable. Many are too selfish to have kids these days. I have a friend who has only one child so can still afford to live luxuriously but if she had 2-3 kids, she cannot enjoy her luxury spending anymore and would have to cut back.
My cousin (Samoan - European) literally marrying a Korean guy, but I was the one who got her into K-pop. There are not many Koreans in my country, it’s probably Chinese, Japanese, and Indians, but Korean is pretty rare. Recently many kdramas mention my country and it’s so odd like.
Great post!!! As a foreigner and older person I think those problems are the same among other countries. The difference is the status in the spectrum. I started to learn Korean language, and Korean culture, only 3 years ago... I think culture and tradition are big issues and big obstacles to overcome. Citizenship as to change in many ways and that takes time. That's the beginning... for instance, a woman doesn't need to choose between family or a career... or has to suffer harassment as a single mother... big enterprises need to change work environment... etc, etc... a long way ahead with a delayed start... but please, don't end k-dramas or k-pop!!! Luv from Portugal 🇵🇹
I like your suggestions of spreading infrastructure, services, and education outside of Seoul. In addition, Governments all over the world need to make childcare facilities MANDATORY in workplaces and school buses for free and have nursing home for elderly next door to child car centre so the two groups interact. As Korean men have to do military services, Korean women should also give 2years to care services eg,child or elderly care
Both sexes should do both military and child care - at least one year of each.
guess this is why there are a lot of Korean and japanese in malaysia
Housing crisis is everywhere I feel. Housing prices are crazy in the US and rent is also outrageous. There are more people graduating from college and living with their parents into their 30s. It’s ridiculous.
Exactly! The housing here in the US is crazy! My brother rented out his house for $3300 per month. Ouch.
I am an Indian and yes there r many problems in our society too just like others but what keeps us going I think is the spirituality. There is gender inequality too but we don’t hate the opposite gender. People somehow still believe in the institution of marriage. Thinks have change for sure like no one dives in to children soon after marriage they enjoy them self but there is always a child in future plan.
In my very personal opinion, as a 67-year-old man, people today think too much of themselves because they have a lot of complacency available that didn't exist in the past. And I am not saying that all the inconveniences described are not true, but in the past, getting married and having children came with age, and the rest would be seen later. If becoming a richer, more developed, more complacent society goes against our existence, I don't know boy, something in our society is very, very wrong.
It sounds like S. Korea is having a huge housing crisis just like the United States is! I’ve been asking myself how the majority of people are supposed to be able to afford either rentals or buying at this point because it seems like you need to be rich to afford either at this point with the exception of low income rentals which are subsidized. It makes me wonder what will happen to all of the homes that have been occupied by regular working people. The “American Dream” of being able to buy a home feels dead right now. The difference or distinction here though is that plenty of people still seem to have babies anyway whether they are single parents or end up getting married ever. Also, a lot of financially struggling people have kids in the States so there’s that.
At this point in the US might as well go back to days where while family lives together. Where I live and paid a decent wage it would take almost 1 full check minus a few hundred just to cover rent/mortgage. This does not include extras like utilities, groceries etc. Sad state the world is in. 😞
The basic problem is that in South Korean society, there are many people who live their lives comparing themselves to others. If others do it, you know you have to do it yourself, and you care a lot about how others see you. Compared to Nam Han-woon, they know the value of happiness only with money, house, and job, and are not properly pursuing various values of happiness. As a result, stress dominates South Korean society.
I find this so true and is not only a Korean thing. I experienced this a lot within my family in the US. They like to compare and compete with each other.
I found that there was no soul in Seoul. Life there was all about looks, status and money. I preferred the people in Busan and Jeju Island.
Yeah, I have never been good at playing follow the leader.
So sad to hear this. I am from India. I heard about this situation but never expected this much severity. The solution for this problem is decentralised development towards the towns and villages. This will give some relief for public.
There are a lot of countries going through this right now.
I havent been watching DKDKTV for a while...this is a refreshing change content wise. Thanks David!
I think you got it at the end. Have the mega business and top universities pick a city or region and then have the government pay to move them there. Also if you're working 120 hours a week just to get by then you have no time to socialize. that's why we generally have a 40 hour work week.
Only in our dreams
Birth rates are low everywhere now. I'm in my 30s and in the US. My siblings, younger cousins and I decided that NONE of us wanted kids because it's too expensive and we want to enjoy our life. Jobs are limited due to constant layoffs. Housing has gone up in most states. It's too difficult financially.
Yes, birth rates are low everywhere but are extremely low in South Korea. Many of my cousins and some of my brothers have kids but they have good paying jobs and have bought houses already. They are the lucky ones.
Yea I fear the layoffs so bad.
I am guessing you are white. Not black or brown.
I cannot imagine you being one of those. Those ppl will breed no matter what.
@@alantes actually I’m Chinese born in US
@@WNY323 I was initially gonna say you must either be white or yellow, but then I decided ‘yellow’ was crude.
Makes sense.
Immigrants from the First World Far Eastern Asian countries are the most sophisticated and elevated segment of the American population nowadays. Chinese, Japanese and Korean… in the next decade, Thai as well.
Educated, increasingly wealthy and socially responsible. More so than white Americans.
I live in Switzerland and the things you said sounded familiar to me although the situation by far isn't as extreme as in Korea. Our birth rates are low but not quite as low and we also have a lot of foreigners in our country (~27% of the population) which help to keep the economy going - although, I'd say there's also some competition going on between Swiss and foreigners when it comes to jobs (in some fields, at least - while in other fields it's so important to have foreigners in the workforce since there's not enough Swiss people for the demand). Our population pyramid looks similar to the one you showed for Korea. Good health care allows people to grow really old, meanwhile, the low birth rates cause the workforce to slim down. Housing prices are quite high, especially in cities such as Zurich. The good thing here is that you could live in any city or even in small towns and villages and commute to a bigger city if you work there (our country is tiny after all) - which allows people to work in the cities where they earn more money but live in the countryside where housing prices aren't as sky-high. But my generation (I'm 24 now) is also facing increased pressure as living on your own two feet becomes more expensive and difficult with time. The hatred between the two sexes isn't as extreme here and feminism has become popular - but there's still animosity between the two sites - just not as much as you mentioned and we're constantly progressing! Especially the younger generations have become quite accepting and tolerant. I wonder whether these issues are a universal thing (at least in industrialised countries?) - just more extreme in some and less so in others?
As a fellow Swiss I approve
@@AnuHerself I wasn't sure whether I'd be able to sum it up well, so I'm glad you approve, thanks!😊
@@Lalalein haha, no you did well summing up everything! Also I would agree it is a global issue for many industrialised countries, even if it seems to be more prominent in some than in others. At least the issue with housing and living costs, I’m about to be 30 this year and I do not know one single person who either bought or is intending to buy a house or flat or anything alike and this seems to be the case for many young ppl in various places around the world🤔🙃
@@AnuHerself Thank you, I'm glad to hear that! And yes, right, it seems to be that we can all more or less relate to one another based on these issues even if we live in totally different countries and cultures. I watched a documentary about Korean pop culture recently and there was a woman who talked about the social issues young adult characters are facing in certain Korean movies and how people from all over the world can relate to these issues despite not living in Korea and experiencing Korean society. It's interesting to see how we all go through such things.
And wow, yeah... I can totally imagine! I don't think I could see myself buying a house or flat or so for myself anytime soon... I might play with that thought if I planned on moving in with someone (like a long-term partner) but for myself alone? It's just not affordable enough and for the time being, I'm even still living at home as it's currently the most cost-effective way for my mom and me to live...at the very least for as long as I'm still in university.
Well summarized. Great video.
The pictures and drawings are hilarious 🤣
Keep your sense of humor, being fun on a serious subject. I like this type of narrative.